I have not experienced Lent personally. But I understand that it is about changing one’s behavior for the 40 days before Easter in order to remember the suffering of Jesus. People have mentioned giving up a favorite food or activity during Lent.
So it was a bit of a surprise to see this Lenten sign on a church marquee I drive by regularly: 40 Days of Kindness. What a remarkable idea for a church community to focus on kindness for Lent!
First, kind acts positively benefit the actors, recipients, and witnesses—good for everyone.
Second, when a community takes on a goal, the community members are able to relate and share about their process and experiences as they pursue their common goal. In this case, the desire to be kind would give a focus to conversations, foster a greater awareness of what it is to be kind, strengthen existing ties, and create new connections to build a tighter-knit community.
I attend a weekly meditation group where we discuss open-heartedness and generosity of spirit and regularly ask for loving-kindness for ourselves and others. Doing so has helped us be more aware of kindness in our everyday lives and has brought us closer together. We say that if each of us had loving-kindness as a daily goal, the world couldn’t help but be a better place.
there's life after work 