The frost appears on the windows, the traffic snarls, the brake lights cast a ruddy glare for miles. When the experts aren’t debating the definition of torture and national security, the radio spits out a familiar song over the cheap speakers.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Some will agree, others not. I’ve been in both camps, but no matter where I stand, the holidays are always vivid.
When I was a small boy, I distinctly remember being puzzled at why people couldn’t like the holidays. “But mom, Santa comes around this time of year!” The miles ticked away on my odometer, and the road went through some dark and scary forests, as well as golden fields. People died, life got hard, and then, four days before a recent Thanksgiving, my teenage cousin committed suicide.
The Darkness seemed crushing, chilling. It was eating people. And it seemed like it was happening around the holidays. Things got better, but the memories remain. And around this time of year, they reappear like Christmas ghosts, especially when I hear a choir singing my late grandfather’s favorite song. He passed away a few days before Christmas in 2006. I remember looking at the tree, and squinting my teary eyes. The lights streamed out into the darkness like Christmas ribbon candy – like a beacon. Those lights…in spite of that darkness…From the other people I talk to, I realize that I’m not alone in this swirl of emotions around this time of year. I came up with something small to do with all of this.
Of all the faiths that celebrate a holiday in December, the theme of light in the darkness is a central tenant.
The world is a complex place, but no matter the immensity of the problem, or how cleverly we disguise and forget our humanity and hurt, we do have the ability to create change right now.
Sometimes, when we can’t see anymore and the wind howls with a chill in it’s teeth – that’s exactly when we need to light a match.
There’s many ways to do so, and I’d like to invite you to join in this thing that I started last year. It’s my way of striking a match. Perhaps you can light one, too. It’s called The Kindness Exchange. The idea might seem trite in it’s simplicity, but I’ve found it meaningful.
- Do (or see) something kind. Go out of your way, and buy that homeless guy a cup of coffee.
- Post about it online using the hashtag #KindnessExchange. (This makes the post searchable.)
- I’ll be collecting tagged posts, and putting them on a lit beacon tree in my front yard. We’ll literally be lighting up the night with our good deeds.
- This year, I’m inviting everyone to make their own beacon trees. Simply decorate a tree, shrub, etc, with red Christmas lights, and put the reports of good deeds on it like festive ornaments.
For me, kindness heightens the joy of a bright time, but more importantly, can serve as a life raft in a time of struggle. So, I send out a special invitation if this season finds you sad. I’m wondering if, as Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life showed George Bailey: Maybe the best way to save ourselves is to save someone else.
I’ll see you out there. Let’s light up the night.
- Josh
Please visit www.JoshUrban.com/kindness to join in.
What if the World was a band?
Kindness Blog 
Reblogged this on MrMilitantNegro™.
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When I gave birth to my son, (he’s 22 now) my goal in life was for him to be a GOOD man. That was the only thing that was important to me. I didn’t care if he was into sports, or if he played an instrument but being kind was of the utmost importance to me. Some men are just not like that. I am a kind person so I didn’t think much about it. One day when he was about 3 I took him to a diner near where my parents lived, early in the morning. There was an elderly woman sitting in the booth in front of her, she was complaining and making nasty faces. My son noticed this and mentioned it to me. I said that maybe she had a tough life and was very sad, or maybe something had just happened. This was all before the random act of kindness began. I told him we should do something nice for her and so we did. I told the waitress we wanted to pay for her mail, my son gave her a twenty dollar bill, and I asked the waitress not to tell her who it was from. My son was giggling and I was smiling, but we left the diner, and I told him about the random act of kindness.He is now 22, was just admitted to medical school and he is one of the kindest people I know. Everyone said that. If I died today, I would die happy knowing that my son is such a wonderful, kind, nurturing person. I achieved my goal. Warm wishes, Laurie http://hibernationnow.wordpress.com
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Absolutely loved this. Thank you 🙂
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What a nice idea! Sometimes at Christmas when my kids were still at home we’d set up the tree with fairy lights but no decorations. The decor was in a box beside it and the deal was for every kind deed we got to choose and hang something. It made the tree special – it was always full long before Christmas Eve.
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Hi!
I am incredibly proud of my students’ Christmas giving initiative. They wanted to share our tradition of Christmas giving at St. Elizabeth School and challenge others throughout the world to start or share a tradition (big or small) of their own! The gist and spirit of the project can be heard here: https://vimeo.com/115003722 in a radio interview I recently did with a station in Budapest, Hungary. Their website is here: https://give4christmaschallenge.wordpress.com To date, in just a few weeks they have reached over 60 countries and 5000 people! Check it out, you’ll be inspired by their KINDNESS! Merry Christmas!
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He padecido psoriasis desde hace varios años y experimentado con todo tipo de terapias sin mucho exito
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