At birth we are full of wonder, new sights, sounds and smells envelope our senses.  We are more open to people, learning and life.

Something happens along the way and each year as we grow older we start learning that not all in the world is good, kind or nice.  We harden and start blocking our senses in order to protect what we hold dear.  Our heart and soul.

As the years go on the scars on the soul wrack up such a heavy toll that there are now too many to count, each time someone we trusted broke our trust, every time someone hurt us, lied to us, showed us that life isn’t full of roses we notched up another scar.

Dramatic? No, it’s the truth of life. These scars on our psyche, soul and heart affect how we see the world, how we interact with each and every person, how we love, hope and also live.  Over time though we can become so disconnected from ourselves that we find ourselves in the proverbial corner in the fetal position saying “no more, no more” or to the point “What is the point of life”.

At this point a number of people find themselves willing to throw in the towel that is called life and end their existence in the world that has tortured and hurt them beyond what they feel they can cope with anymore.  They are tired of putting on a fake smile and pretending that life in the world doesn’t hurt them so much.  They are just plain tired.

We all carry scars, we have all been hurt beyond reason.  We all carry fake smiles upon our faces at some point but what if we could redirect all that pain towards something good.  What if all those scars we notched up on our belt of life could do some good in the world and perhaps unknowingly save someone from committing the most final act of their lives?

First it starts with you.  Redirect the scars and pain, what others think of you is their problem.  Not so simple but truth, no one really knows who you are but you. Your inner wants, needs, loves, passions etc are yours alone.  No matter how much we want to share them they are ours alone.  No two people can share the same soul or journey fully, even soulmates and twin souls.  We all have different journeys.  What they think of you is shaped by their own journey not yours.

The scars may have taught us pain but it also allowed us to understand pain, both our own and another’s.  We are not all alike but how we feel is similar.  We all get angry and hurt when we are betrayed.  We all feel intense pain when a loved one dies.  We all feel a myriad of things when we are violated.  You can understand another’s pain.

Secondly you do not own their pain, it is theirs alone.  Harsh? No, we can sometimes feel the need to rush in and solve other peoples problems. We start stressing over them and try to enforce our will upon their journey in order to either save them or guide them.   What we do know is what it could feel like in their situation and let them know that you understand.  They are not alone in their pain.

Too often we jump in with our mouths and not enough with our ears.

Thirdly start listening with an open mind, put the baggage you carry around on the sidelines and actively listen.  Absorb what people tell you and process it before your mouth opens.  Sometimes what is being said is not spoken.  Your gut is more wise than your mouth.

Finally….

The scars we wrack up in life can taint our view on the world, we tend to forget that there is magic in the world, we forget that the sun shines and find ourselves living under a cloud of doom.  Sometimes all it takes is that small act by someone else to remind us that there is light and that magic is alive and well.

Stopping to chat to someone that looks like they need an ear, greeting someone you don’t know from a bar of proverbial soap, helping the person cross the road, paying it forward at the drive through.  Little acts of kindness that have a big impact on someones day and perhaps even their life.

It all comes down to random acts of kindness, through giving you receive. A simple smile at someone passing you by can make a difference.

It made one in mine.

Kindness was shown to me by strangers on some of my darkest of days. Their kindness got me through the day and ultimately got me to where I am today.

They don’t know who I am, nor I them, but they helped me more than anyone else.

All it takes is one stranger imparting random kindness upon another.