The Warthog School's Loving Kindness Committee: Celebrating World Kindness Day

We've been working with a wonderful gratitude curriculum from The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley and decided to infuse the power of gratitude into our first acts of kindness this morning - love notes.

When the children awoke, the first things that they saw were stacks of photographs waiting for them on the table.  Some were recent, some were a few years old, and all documented the same thing in different ways: a memory of time spent well with loved ones.

It is not an exaggeration to say that it was a bit like Christmas morning here.  The photos were obviously gifts to them.  I saw emotions play across their faces that were almost unbelievable.  The pictures were so evocative.  They created surprise, awe, silly laughter, longing, warmth...  Some friends in the photographs they hadn't seen in years and the stories of longing and appreciation began flowing out with their emotions.  They grabbed glue and pen and began to tell each person why they are so special. 

It was a moment in which I wished that our committee meeting had been convening right in a classroom at Berkeley. I wished that all of the wonderful people, who have dedicated themselves to the purpose of teaching others that happiness, and gratitude, and kindness are real, important, and can be cultivated, could see the children in action.  Especially the moment in which E.P., who is known to wake up with what he has come to describe as "pushinitus" (the need to resist, negate, act out, and emotionally and physically push against everyone and everything possible), whimsically danced away from the morning work table with eight cards completed.  "Mom, wanna know something amazing?  Just doing that project made me feel SUPER happy."  There was a resounding "I LOVED that project" in the room.  Myself included.

So simple, so powerful is kindness.

We spent the rest of the morning project time making rice crispy treat hearts that could be given out the rest of our day to whomever we thought could use one.  We talked about our favorite picture book from early childhood "The Giant Hug" by Sandra Horning and brainstormed future acts of kindness for our Loving Kindness Committee meetings.

We practiced writing, from the heart.  We practiced writing a proper envelope.  We practiced modifying recipes and measurements.  We gained an understanding of geography according to where our hearts are tethered on the globe.  We found a use for all of those countless photographs that we are taking at a daily rate now.  What are we all so feverishly documenting?  And, why?  We found our answer today.  We are documenting the abundance of love, kindness, and beauty in our lives so that we may savor and share it often.

If you were a recipient of a random act of kindness, or the mastermind behind gifting one, we would love to hear about what you did in our comments section.  It will inspire us and others.  Kindness truly is contagious.