Dream.Vision.Movement.
kindness is the movement and it's all about spreading kindness + love along with a whole lotta positivity, sunshine, + happiness. Kindness is the Movement is about uplifting others and just being KIND to one another. Life is hard, the world is terrible, and a lot of humanity is downright awful. I often ask myself, "Where is the kindness? Why are people so mean? Why is the world so cruel?" I see it in action every day. The lack. The lack of love, joy, kindness, gentleness, graciousness, and I especially saw it firsthand on April 13 when I witnessed and subsequently helped in a horrific car accident.
That singular incident affected me so greatly on that day and the days and weeks after, the disregard of people, the lack of empathy, the unfairness of it all. What happened that day made me very angry to the point of lividness, but it also made me tremendously sad and disappointed. I was hurt. The tears wouldn't stop flowing. There are events that have such a significant impact on your life, and they change you. For me, that was one of those events. I will share that story soon enough, but what I can say right now is out of that tragedy a movement that I had previously thought to start was solidified. This movement. A Kindness Movement. Because while there was a great deal of lack in the moments and hours after that accident, there was also some kindness shown by just a handful of kind-hearted people.
Out of that tragedy, I gained a friend, a connection born out of a tragedy but has blossomed into a God-formed relationship. What happened on that day gave me more confirmation of the movement I had already had a niggling of an idea to start because back on April 2 while I was wrestling with sleep on the next season of my life and my next course of action, at 3:33 am I woke up with an epiphany. I had been so focused on the wrong things. I kept feeling like I was missing something, missing the mark. I wanted more. To do more. Be more. Give more. Help more. My mental health was rocky at best. I had been kinda going through it. Sometimes I'm very hard on myself, way too hard. About a lot of things. Too many things.
But sometimes, no, all of the time, you should be kind to yourself. Although it can be hard. Because kindness, even to yourself, can go a long way, change your perspective, enlighten you. In that quiet epiphany, my soul whispered Galatians 5:22-23 to me, and that is when the Kindness is a Movement seed was planted. As it was being watered and nourished [and I was trying to uproot the weeds of doubt, fear, and imposter syndrome], a few weeks later the accident, unbeknownst to me, was the sprout, and now that sprout has been announced and this tree of kindness will continue to flourish and grow to become massive, full of life, and produce other trees, until there is a whole beautiful forest of kindness and love and compassion and gentleness and happiness and positivity.
And that is where you, my friends, come in. Kindness is the Movement will start out as a t-shirt brand (hoodies/sweatshirts, etc to come) because t-shirts make a statement. People wear what they feel on their chest. People spread a message on their chest. T-shirts are loud and clear; they voice your inner thoughts. They're conversation pieces. So, that's where I'll start. Along with maybe a blog on kindness, and what that looks like. There is so much negativity and violence in the media, on the news, in the world. People need to experience positivity, feel kindness, see the gratefulness. Humanity craves it, thirsts for it. Humanity needs it.
In time, there will be growth. But for now, the call to start has rung loud and clear, and God has breathed his very essence into this movement and the message that needs to be spread. And it's my job to be a humble servant to try to reach as many people as I can by being kind, by spreading love, and simply with a smile and a message on my chest.
If you made it this far THANK YOU for reading, and I hope you will join in the movement. The world needs you. People need you. Do something kind today, smile, and drink your water. Oh, and follow the movement on Instagram and Facebook!