Get on the Ark!

This Sunday is World Kindness Day. I don’t really want to be sarcastic about this one, because it truly sounds like a great day! I loved the part in the movie Evan Almighty where the acronym for ARK is “Acts of Random Kindness.” I’ve always remembered that acronym and think about it all the time. Wouldn’t life be great if everyone in the world got on the ARK and did one act of random kindness daily? If we all took a moment to think about someone else instead of NUMERO UNO, and did something to help another, we’d uplift not only them, but ourselves as well. It’s a chain reaction.

When we reach out to someone else, we grasp true happiness…the kind money can’t buy. If you watch The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (like I did while visiting my brother recently), you’ll realize that money can buy you lots of things (like a $25,000 pair of sunglasses), but it can’t buy happiness! Money—and the things it buys—is superficial. It brings momentary pleasure, but not lasting joy.

Participating in World Kindness Day and then making it a habit to do acts of random kindness consistently in your life from here on out will bring more satisfaction than anything you can buy at the store. Money is funny (ha, ha…that rhymes!). The more you make…the more you spend. The more you spend…the more you want. The more you get…the less joy it gives you.

I’m not trying to bag on money. Who doesn’t dream of going to WalMart and not pinching pennies? But I do believe that to enjoy riches, you must have accumulated a treasure of character first: integrity, charity, gratitude, kindness, civility. When you have those valuable assets, then wealth can be used to enhance yours and others’ lives. But if your character’s treasure chest is lacking, money will only strangle you with greed, pride and paranoia.

So make a point to celebrate World Kindness Day on Sunday…and every day thereafter! Build up a wealth of character by getting on the ARK—and doing ACTS OF RANDOM KINDNESS! You’ll be glad you did (just like those people that followed Noah onto his ARK)!

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