30 Days of Kindness and Beauty.
On August 31, 2009 I wrote the following note and posted it in my "Notes" section on my facebook page:
Several hours after adding my Sunday status update, I was thinking about many things. I was thinking about how most purveyors of news primarily view news items that consist of death, destruction, murder and mayhem as truly being newsworthy. I was thinking how that is incredibly insane. I was thinking about how this is also one of the many reasons I have not owned a television in more than 10 years and why I rarely read a newspaper. I was thinking about all the large and small acts of kindness and beauty that occur with impunity and unknown frequency all around the earth everyday. I was thinking about how jaded most of us have become, how ravenous we are for the next big scandal or large scale human tragedy to whet our appetites for melodrama and general rapaciousness. I was thinking of how children today grow up in a world where negativity and chaos are considered the norm. I was wondering how I, in any small way, can affect all of this and create a new simple and daily type of consciousness around it all.
As all of these thoughts were beginning to settle in I decided on the “30 days of kindness and beauty” project/experiment. This is what I am going to do for the next 30 days: For the next 30 days I am going to use my keen sense of observation. I am going to notice and record acts of kindness and beauty I experience personally or observe in the world around me. One of these acts will then become my status update for that day. I will do this for the next 30 consecutive days. Because of some events occurring in my life over the next several weeks, I may not be able to update my status on a daily basis, though that is my ultimate goal. Still, if I am unable to update my status daily I will still record the acts of kindness and beauty in my special daily kindness and beauty journal and will place them on my facebook page at the earliest opportunity I have.
May all Beings be Free!
Raven Mahosadha
08.31.09
Over the next 30 days I created a kindness and beauty journal and made it a point to observe any acts of kindness and beauty I happened to observe or became aware of and recorded them in the journal.
This process ended up taking me 2 months. That was not because there was any poverty of kind and beautiful acts to observe or become aware of. Rather, events in my life that were already scheduled sometimes prevented me from being out and about to observe such acts. Also, there is the fact that there were a number of days during this period where the days were spent mostly in solitude and meditation-- again, preventing me from being out and about and observing.
A few notes:
I don't want to be overly analytical about this project. I will say that it has brought me great joy to conceive, engage in and complete. This exercise was not designed to deny that troublesome things occur in the world and on a daily basis or to deny that people can sometimes engage in some very harmful and destructive acts and behaviors. Rather, it desires to be a testament to the power of the beauty of the human spirit and a testament to the fact that occurring simultaneously with the disturbing actions of humankind and I believe in far greater frequency, are all kinds of acts that attest to the inherent kindness and beauty of the Human Being.
Of the 30 acts recorded here, two are news stories other facebook friends brought to my attention. The first appears as #17. I usually credit friends whom I re-post from. This is one of the rare times I didn't. This is probably because I was so moved by the piece that I forgot to do that. So sadly, I do not remember who I got it from. The second appears as #27. My beautiful friend Kym K. brought that one to my attention. There is also a French short film that serves as one of the acts of kindness and beauty. It appears as #29 and is also a YouTube video. Beautiful friend Celia B. brought this to my attention. Number 11 is from President Obama's address to Congress and the nation on healthcare. Numbers 18 and 24 are from the lives of two friends of mine here in Oakland and when I became aware of these things I knew they needed to be included in this project. The remaining 24 items are all events I either directly observed or directly participated in.
I started out paying particular attention to the ethnicity and/or gender identity of people. That is because this began during a period where there was lots of craziness going on about President Obama being a racist and such and I wanted to bring some healing to this--to all the "otherness consciousness" that seemed at a fever pitch at that particular time. I believe that after #9 I don't make such references or at least do so with significantly decreased frequency.
So without further delay, here is a recap of the events I recorded in "30 Days of Kindness and Beauty." I honor all the Bodhisattva's whose actions are recorded here. Thank you for being my teachers.
11.03.09
1. I was waiting 4 a MUNI (San Francisco Municipal Bus/Transit Service) at its first stop last night. It was quite cold outside. The MUNI driver was taking a break several yards away before beginning his route. He stepped off the bus and walks to me and invites me to come sit on the bus for the rest of his break. He cited the cold as his motivation for his compassionate actions. He was an Asian American man. Random acts of MUNI kindness. May All Beings Be Free. 08.30 09
2. I was sitting by a window at a coffee shop in the Castro. On the other side of the window were two older white, gay men sitting at a table talking. A young African American man came up and asked them for a quarter. One of the men gave him a dollar. The young man said, "I have something for you too." He opened his backpack and handed one of the men a book. The book was "Peace is Every Step" by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. May All Beings Be Free.
3. I was on a bench in downtown San Francisco. An elderly Latina attempted to cross a very busy noontime Market Street intersection with two apparently very heavy suitcases in tow. The light changed. She had only made it halfway across the street. Traffic however, still stopped. And a blue and orange haired young woman got out of a nearby parked vehicle to help the elderly woman cross the street. May All Beings Be Free.
4. I saw a man with his young daughter, walking. And I saw a man walking with a seeing-eye dog. They were walking in opposite directions on the same street. At one point the daughter got away from her father, ran to the dog and hugged and kissed it on the nose. The father, embarrassed, apologized profusely. The man with the dog said, "Dogs and children belong together." May All Beings Be Happy. May all Beings Be Free.
5. I was on an extremely overcrowded city bus. Many people were standing. Somehow, near the front of the bus, a second grade white boy with his mom recognized a schoolmate standing near the back, a little black girl with her parents. They wanted to talk. There was no room. Three people gave up their seats so they + mom could be together. May All Beings Be Free.
6. I was sitting at a table. There was a newspaper on the table that I was not reading. A man came over and wrote a message on part of the newspaper and then left. The note said, "I love you Raven." The man was my partner John and we were at home. I love you too. May All Beings Be Free.
7. I boarded a long escalator at a BART station when I dropped my laptop (in its carrying case). I saw it continue to tumble down several moving stairs and then disappear from sight amidst legs, high heels and large pieces of luggage. Gone. Vanished. When I finally made it to the bottom, I was greeted by a broad smiling dread-locked brother who handed it back to me without a word, just a smile. May All Beings Be Free.
8. I saw a man giving a young boy drum lessons. This was occurring in a public space. A small crowd gathered. It became a performance of sorts. The young boy gained more confidence. The crowd enjoyed the young boys performance and applauded his efforts. The young boy was smiling from ear to ear. May All Beings Be Free.
9. I received pink and red roses from someone as a nice surprise. I hear they were purchased from an older Mexican woman in downtown San Francisco who obviously has at least one purpose in life of bringing smiles to peoples faces and more warmth to people’s hearts. May All Beings Be Free.
10. I witnessed a mutually loving encounter between a hummingbird and the white and purple flowers of a Meyer lemon tree. May All Beings Be Free.
11. I listened to someone speak these words yesterday: "that concern and regard for the plight of others – is not a partisan feeling. It is not a Republican or a Democratic feeling. It, too, is part of the American character. Our ability to stand in other people's shoes. A recognition that we are all in this together; that when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a helping hand." May All Beings Be Free.
12. I walked a nervous friend to the carpool location in Oakland heading to SF. This friend has had many negative experiences in the past with "strangers." Who one gets at the carpool is the luck of the draw. Who this friend got was a woman social worker who was going to the exact city block my friend was going to; miles from the regular drop off location. May All Beings Be Free.
13. I was in a Facebook discussion in the early morning lasting 3 hours with a total of 7 participants across the U.S. and a total of 173 comments made all commencing on my friend Caiomhin's Facebook page and that was civil and non-combative with vastly different opinions shared and maintained and all inspired by Caiomhin's simple question: "Why are humans here?" And without anyone ever exclaiming, "You lie!" May All Beings Be Free.
14. I sat on a downtown bench in San Francisco wanting to be alone. It was quiet. It was serene. I was content. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a person approached carrying a stack of "Street Sheets," the homeless newspaper. I begrudgingly prepared for the sales pitch. It never came. Instead came a Dharma talk about the beauty of the day. That's it. Oh, and a sparkling smile. Angels come in all types of packaging. May All Beings Be Free.
15. I was talking to a friend. I was talking about my grandfather. I talked about his gentleness. I talked about his support while growing up. A woman from a nearby table approached. She was teary eyed. She had overheard our conversation. She said it had made her day, given her hope. Her father and ex-husband had been abusive toward her. She was glad to hear there were still loving men in the world. May All Beings Be Free.
16. I listened intently and without the need to defend myself, argue or to make excuses as a trusted friend shared with me something I do in our relationship that he experiences as hurtful and not so much fun. And he is right. May All Beings Be Free.
17. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89164759
18. I am aware a young couple in Kaua'i, renting a condo on the island, had some wonderful food this week because as they were arriving, another couple who were about to depart the island, noticed them arriving and passed onto them their surplus food. May All Beings Be Free.
19. I know of a Chinese owned and operated restaurant in an upscale neighborhood in S.F. that ever so discretely passes out free meals to homeless persons. May All Beings Be Free.
20. I was walking in Oakland. I passed a house just as the owner was placing a beautiful box of fresh vegetables from the garden on the sidewalk for anyone to take as they wished. May All Beings Be Free.
21. I was crossing a busy intersection in Oakland and a car turning left onto the street I was crossing stopped and waited very patiently for me to cross and with no, absolutely no signs of "hurry up and cross" anxiety. May not seem like such a big deal. In urban centers, this is a big deal. May All Beings Be Free.
22. I had the absolute pleasure of being in a Safeway store in Oakland and being in Herman's checkout line. I do not believe I have ever encountered a grocery store checker who so thoroughly understood that providing good service to customers is a spiritual practice. Thank You, Herman. May All Beings Be Free.
23. I witnessed an Oakland Police Officer get out of his patrol car, go to a restaurant
and come out a few minutes later with his take-out order. On the way back to his patrol car he passed a seemingly homeless man. The police officer stopped, turned around and handed the food to the man, who seemed very surprised. The police officer then went back into the restaurant, came out a few minutes later with another container of food and got into his car. May All Beings Be Free.
24. I know of a woman who attended her first support group meeting only to be faced with another group member who was so distressed he was seriously considering ending his life. She had never met him before. After it was agreed he should check himself into a psych. ward, the woman asked and it was agreed that she could accompany him to give support and comfort to him while he awaited admission. May All Beings Be Free.
25. I was at a downtown San Francisco BART station when a blind woman appeared
close by, walking with a stick. Perhaps she got disoriented because she
edged perilously close to the edge of the platform. Most people watching this unfold seemed to be caught off guard/many of us just froze. Then a young girl approached her and guided her to safety, then offered her the extra piece of candy she had. May All Beings Be Free.
26. I went to a well known moderately priced eating establishment in Oakland. I wanted and ordered three very specific things from the menu, all favorites of mine. They had just sold out of one of the items so they gave me the other 2 items free of charge. Total savings = $6.45. May All Beings Be Free.
27. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/clerk-recounts-alleged-robbers-dramatic-change-heart/story?id=8887628
28. I was in a store in Oakland. A woman needed help reaching an item. I helped her. Several days later I ran into this same woman at a pizza place. She recognized me. She offered to buy my 2 slices. I let her. Later that same day I ran into a friend in a store. I paid for all his items. Some days later I ran into this same friend again. He told me that a few days earlier he had bought an ice cream for a young child whose mother couldn't find her money. All of these businesses were on Lakeshore Ave in Oakland, CA. Paying it forward on Lakeshore Ave. over 11 days. May All Beings Be Free.
29. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jedd2FiZTqM
30. I watched a Bodhisattva in costume at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. He was amidst the many hustlers aggressively competing to see who could relieve tourists and others of their money the quickest with all sorts of gags and tricks. He was different. I watched him for a very long time. He just wanted to share love and laughter with anyone who came. Many came to him. I saw no money exchanged. May All Beings Be Free.
Amen, Namaste, Ase, mitakuye Oyasin/All My Relations, So Mote it Be, Shalom, Asalaam 'Alaykum. Om Shanti, Hari Bol, Blessed Be.
11.03.09
© Raven/Sage Mahosadha
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