Pebbles

Some people want only to do big deal kindnesses that will feed their ego or make them think they have accomplished something important and unique.  But Dorothy Day suggests we not wait for or desire such "opportunities" as they are rare for most of us anyway.  Why not do "pebbles" of kindness she says.  These are the many small things that we can do to treat one another decently.  There are dishwashers, coffee machines, dirty sinks, rides to a doctor, a smile as you pass someone on a walk, letting someone cut into line who seems frazzled, helping someone with their luggage on an airplane and so on.  You don't have to go off and run a soup kitchen, or develop a parish helping committee if you ignore those who you see everyday or with whom you share daily life.  Pebble kindnesses do not go unnoticed unrewarded, except to big egos.  The reward?  A transformed, fully your best self person.