There are so many scary things going on in the world today. It’s so easy to get sad and discouraged about the current state of affairs. As a mom, every time I hear about an act of violence, it makes me fearful for my daughter’s future. The last thing I want is for her to grow up thinking that the world is an unsafe place. I’ve learned that whenever I start to feel powerless, the best thing to do is to focus on the things that I DO have power over. So I’ve decided to focus my efforts in spreading a little bit of love and kindness everyday. While it’s true that we cannot control what happens in the world, we do have some control over what happens in our own corner of it. If we want the world to be a safe, loving, and peaceful place, then we have to make sure that that is what we are creating. It starts with us and it starts at home.
I want to encourage you to join me in doing one loving and kind thing everyday. It doesn’t have to be big; every little bit counts toward making the world a little brighter. Here are some ideas:

• Tell someone you love them
• Buy or pick flowers for a friend
• Find a cause that is important to you and donate your time or money to it
• Bring in your neighbor’s garbage can
• Buy coffee for the person behind you in line
• Give a hug to someone that needs it
• Offer to babysit for friends so that they can enjoy a date night
• Pick up litter off the street
• Forgive someone who has hurt you
• Call a friend you haven’t spoken to in awhile
• Clean out your closet and donate your hand me downs
• Support local businesses
• Arrange a playdate for your child and a new friend
• Cook your husband’s favorite meal
• Run a 5k that supports a local charity
• Send a card thanking someone who has impacted your life
• Make eye contact and smile at everyone you pass on the street
• Organize a block party in your neighborhood
• Give someone a compliment
• Do a loving kindness meditation (instructions below)

Here is a simple loving kindness meditation that you can do to increase the loving energy in your life:
Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes closed and place your hands over your heart. Take a few slow deep breaths as you start to relax. Bring to mind a person who you love very much. Picture that person in front of you and imagine extending your love to that person. As you picture this person before you, silently tell them, “May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be peaceful.”
Next, bring to mind someone who has hurt you. Imagine this person before you and extend a little love to them, as you silently say, “May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be peaceful.”
Now imagine that you can send some of this loving kindness out into the world. Bring an image of the world and everyone in it into your mind, and start to extend some love to the world. As you picture everyone in the whole world, silently say, “May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be peaceful.”
Finally, bring the focus back to yourself. Notice your hands over your heart and turn your attention inward. Start to direct all of your loving energy back to you, and silently say, “May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be peaceful.”
Take a few more deep breaths, and when you feel ready, you can open your eyes.

There are so many ways in which we can start making the world a better place. Try some of these ideas, or make up some of your own. Try to do one kind thing everyday for a week and notice the impact it has on your attitude and in the people around you. By focusing on being more loving, we attract more love into our lives and send it back out into the world. Our world needs more love. Our children need more kindness. It starts with us.
Be well,
Ambar