I get this all the time: “Are you still doing your kindness project?” A fair question. Afterall, it’s been a while since I’ve published anything on my website. The answer is yes and no.
Yes, I am still involved in the projects I originally joined when I moved to New York and kicked off my website. However, I am neglecting one of the main goals of my project: report back on my own kindness journey to inspire others to create the habit of kindness in their own lives.
Life is much busier now that covid is well behind us. And the projects that I got involved with as acts of kindness have ramped up. But so have a lot of fun things like family, friends, and trips. Writing, which doesn’t come easy to me, has been easily set aside. Until now.
On Monday, I’m leaving for Malawi. (It’s in Africa. I had to look it up too.) Operation Smile, a charity our family has supported for years, is having a surgical program where a team of 100 volunteers will be providing cleft lip and palate surgeries for children in need. My role is student chaperone.
I’m not telling you this because I want you to donate to Operation Smile (although it is a wonderful cause), or because I want to rack up kindness points with readers. (No, that is not actually a thing.) I want to share this with you because it is a momentous step for me in my journey.
You see, this kind of thing doesn’t come easy to me. I am stepping out of my comfort zone with this one. And that’s ok. It’s good to get uncomfortable…that’s how we grow.
Acts of kindness come in a myriad of forms. One person may feel fulfilled by donating money or planning benefits while another enjoys “hands on” work with people in need. I identify with the former, but I want to make steps to be more comfortable with the latter. I wrote an article on just this a while back: There’s No Wrong Way to Give. What Works Best for You?
“To become a more compassionate (and thus happier) person, start by working on your toughness. To be tougher in the face of another’s pain doesn’t mean feeling it less. Rather, you should learn to feel the pain without being impaired to act.” – Arthur C. Brooks
Technically, my role on this trip is to be a chaperone for 2 high school students. I’m supposed to make sure they’re safe and keep them on track with our educational objectives for our patients. It’s also about spreading love and joy to patients, their family members, and the volunteers who will tirelessly give of themselves to change lives.
So, I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights. From the details: Will we feel sick from the malaria pills? What if we don’t make our 55-minute connection? To the deep: How will I comfort the mother whose child is not chosen for surgery?
I will admit, I was feeling quite anxious. That is, until the students and I had our most recent facetime. Their smiles and excited exclamations of “counting down the days” were infectious.
I realized my mindset needed an adjustment. Sure–this is out of my comfort zone. I’m also not alone in this. Imagine the amazing people we will meet. And they will only expect me to do my best. We have the unique opportunity to share an intensely personal experience with people from another part of the world. There will be an entire crew of volunteers ready to work together to positively impact the lives of hundreds of people. What. A. Gift.
I’m not stepping out of my comfort zone. I’m leaping. And I can’t wait.
