Sharing flowers as an act of Radical Kindness,
Last weekend, I had an experience that should have felt ordinary but instead turned out to be quite extraordinary. It was an absolutely beautiful summer day—perfect, really. The sun was shining, the temperature was in the upper 70s, and the humidity was delightfully low. It was the kind of day that makes you want to spend every moment outside, so I did. I took my book and settled on a bench along a rail-trail, which overlooks a peaceful brook. Families rode by on bicycles, and walkers passed back and forth along the trail.
Then, out of the blue, an older woman approached me. She sat down next to me and struck up a conversation. She had just bought some sushi from a nearby shop and was ready to enjoy her lunch. She started by asking what I was reading, and before I knew it, we were deep in conversation. We talked for about an hour.
This should have been an ordinary occurrence—just two people chatting on a beautiful summer day—but it wasn’t. The whole experience made me realize how rare it is to have such a lovely, unhurried conversation with a stranger. We talked about all sorts of things without looking at our phones or feeling the pressure to rush off somewhere.
I felt grateful for the experience, but at the same time, I was a little sad that it felt so extraordinary. I remember looking at her and thinking, “Are you an angel?” and “Am I experiencing a miracle?”
When did a simple human interaction on a beautiful day become something so extraordinary?
It got me thinking about a book I recently read, Radical Kindness: The Life-Changing Power of Giving and Receiving by Angela C. Santomero. Radical Kindness is like a breath of fresh air. As the title suggests, it’s infused with themes of kindness, joy, and hope. The book emphasizes that by doing simple acts of kindness—like sitting down with a stranger for a conversation—we’ll all be better off. It’s really that simple.
We’re more than halfway through 2024, and I’m reminded of my earlier Letter to 2024, where I expressed one of my hopes for the year: more kindness. But after that encounter on the park bench and reading Radical Kindness, I started thinking: What else can I personally do to spread more kindness?
I thought about my garden. The flowers are at their peak, and even though I’ve been sharing them with everyone who has helped me so much this year, there are still plenty of flowers left over. So, I wondered—what if I gave small bouquets to other people in my life, just because?
I started today. I made a bouquet for my physical therapist and brought it with me to my appointment. Surprisingly, I found myself feeling nervous. I kept second-guessing whether I should actually bring the flowers.
Long story short - she loved them. It was such a simple thing to do, and now I’m excited to make more bouquets and give them to people “just because.”
The lesson? It bears repeating. Now, more than ever, we need to ramp up the kindness meter. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Small gestures, like giving a bouquet or having an unhurried conversation, can ripple positive energy outward in ways we can’t even imagine. These simple acts of kindness may not seem important, but they have real power, and also keep us grounded. If we each commit to just a little more kindness, who knows what kind of change we might spark?
After all, as I have learned from the woman on the bench, the simplest acts often leave the most lasting impact.