A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way

I’m used to starting a post off with a picture, but not for this one. I’m used to reluctantly getting up early in the morning and rushing off to work but now I wake up at a time that suits me. My house has become an office and my dining table has become a desk. The bedroom is a school and the computer is a notebook.

A lot of things have changed recently. The roads look a lot emptier and the houses more fuller. Many people are frightened of the future and their careers. And it’s okay to be! Change can be a scary concept, especially when it happens so suddenly. At the beginning of the year I had no idea what was coming. I was planning a trip to Switzerland and a huge birthday party for my little one. So I was definitely not expecting a worldwide pandemic to crop out of nowhere and change my way of living. But is there anything I’ve gotten out of this time?

My older daughter took this picture in our garden. I never knew she had a passion for photography. Or that she can bake amazing cakes and cookies. Even she never knew she had an art for baking! (She takes after me 🙂 )

Trying Out New Things.

All this time has encouraged me to try out new things and do all the things that I never thought was possible. Like making this blog for instance. Me and my husband have been thinking about it for such a long time yet never actually made a move to make it real. But with all this newly found time to spare, I’ve finally been able to put it into the works and create this little space on the internet to share my healthy lifestyle and ideas with you lovely lot. It’s amazing how far a small idea can go!

My Perfect Little Life

Was I really living my dream before all of this? Not really. There were a lot of things that I wanted to do other than my work.

– spend more time with my kids

-Have long family walks

-Try out the bunch of recipes that I had printed out at work but were sitting on the table next to the front door.

And so on, the list was endless.

But now I actually do all of these things! The pile of recipes is now non-existent and every weekend is started with a long family walk through the farm near my house. Walking has quite literally changed my life. I’m finally able to say that I’m living my perfect life. Every ones goals are different and although we all want to achieve them, very few of us actually make the move. Now’s the perfect time to start on all those little things you’ve always wanted to do but somehow never did.

My Amazing Neighbours

We live next to an old couple. I know some of my friends have little fights with their neighbours but our neighbours are literally the nicest people on this planet. We exchange cards and presents near Christmas and they’re always spoiling my kids with chocolate during Easter! They will come to speak to us at every opportunity.

But now they’re so vulnerable to this virus and have been advised by the government to stay at home. Now I’m the one who’s checking up on them at every opportunity. Giving them a call in the mornings and seeing if they need someone to run an errand to the shop. They hardly ever ask us for anything but it’s the thought that counts. So they know we’ll be there for them if they ever need help.

A warm smile is the universal language of kindness

And it’s not just my family who are looking out for people whenever possible. There are kind acts happening all over the world! People are going out of their way to help someone. And it’s really nice to see. Even when everyone is apart, we’re still coming closer together as a whole.

It’s the little things like the Thursday NHS clap that happens in the UK at 8 pm for which my kids stand in the garden wearing their pyjamas and start banging loudly with a metal spoon and a bowl. (I think we’re the loudest on the street!) And the nod we receive when we see someone on the street which seems to say it all, from how are you to don’t worry, it’ll all be over soon. We now all have something in common that has brought us together as a community.

I know these are such hard times, when we don’t know what’s going to come next. And I really wish it will all end soon. But something that I hope will carry on is the kindness that we’ve adopted during this time. Even after life has settled back down, I’m still going to go out of my way to check up on my neighbours. And I hope to see all these little acts of kindness still happening in the background as we recover together.