By Nellie Curtiss …
Sometimes its Random Acts of Kindness that fuel our lives. Take for instance how a family I know hired Renee Martinez (719-480-4273) a housekeeper, to help their sister, an artist with arthritis, deep clean and organize her small house.
As I understand, Renee cleaned floors, dusted shelves, mopped floors, wiped kitchen counters, changed linens in the bedrooms, scrubbed appliances in the kitchen and laundry room, shined tubs and sinks in bathrooms, and vacuumed couch cushions. That house would pass military inspection.
Ellen DeGeneres said, “Here are the values that I stand for: honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values.”
As we watch the first 100 days of Joe Biden’s presidency unfold, kindness is once again on display. His Covid Relief is set to distribute $1400 in relief to those Americans and families making $75,000 or less. Producing and buying more vaccines is happening right now. He is pushing for immigration reform which is a kindness that the Statue of Liberty proclaims for the whole world. A progressive minimum-wage increase to $15 is also a necessary kindness for the average worker. Biden has said, “No one should work 40 hours a week and live in poverty.” In a CNN town hall last week with President Biden and Anderson Cooper as the moderator, Biden asked a struggling mom to stay after so he could help find a solution for her and her family.
“Kindness and politeness are not overrated at all. They’re underused,” said Tommy Lee Jones
At Safeway, Debbie and other retailers or baggers also walk with disabled customers to cars where they load groceries. Walmart has the curbside delivery that is a blessing, too.
Primary care provider Jackie Bennett and her nurse DJ exude random acts of kindness at the Rio Grande Hospital Monte Vista Medical Clinic. Sometimes a simple “Let me help you carry this out to your car” means all the world.
At the Cardiac Rehab Lab in the Rio Grande Hospital in Del Norte, staff welcome the heart patient with attention, follow up calls and often extra medical masks to protect them in their daily tasks.ar
Not long ago, Dr. Laura Hays shared some books on cognitive and brain rehabilitation with my son.
Monte Vista residents Gayla and the Sanchez family have shared meals with neighbors and pulled neighbors’ trash bins out to the curb; and when snow accumulates, Greg also shovels the sidewalks.
These random acts of kindness remind me what the Dalai Lama writes, “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
Columns by nellie 