Ask the Doctors

Random Kindness & Acts of Beauty
By Dr's. Jeff, Craig and Marissa

We would like to take this moment to share our personal thoughts with you, instead of writing the customary "Ask the Docs" portion of this newsletter. In fact, we'd like to ask you a question instead. If you turn the TV on nowadays, what are you most likely going to see? Are you going to see positive and uplifting stories or are you bombarded by negative and destructive events? We are asking you this question because we strongly believe that your thoughts directly have an effect on your health. Negative thinking can, and does, manifest in our bodies as pain and illness. Therefore, if we are continually generating negative thoughts and are immersed in a negative environment, this accumulation of negative energy can NOT have a positive effect on our health. On top of the negativity from the media, we also get so caught up in our busy lives with work and the quest to"get ahead", that we do not make living a balanced and healthy life a priority.

What if we could get every one of our readers to do just one small random act of kindness tomorrow? Could this possibly create a ripple effect of amazing proportion?

Have you heard of the Chaos Theory? It has been stated that the flapping of a single butterfly's wings today produces a tiny change in the state of the atmosphere. Over a period of time, what the atmosphere actually does diverges from what it would have done. For example, a tornado that would have devastated the Indonesian coast doesn't actually develop. ( Ian Stewart, Does God Play Dice? The Mathematics of Chaos, p.141 ) So, if this theory is true, what affect could you have on the world with just one random act of kindness? It is a powerful thought. Why is this so hard for us to do on a consistent basis? I think Princess Diana stated it perfectly,"Perhaps we're too embarrassed to change or too frightened of the consequences of showing that we actually care. But why not risk it anyway? BEGIN TODAY! Carry out an act of kindness, with no expectation of reward or punishment. Safe in the knowledge that one day, someone somewhere might do the same for you." It is amazing how good you feel when you do this. Do you remember the article we wrote on balance? Have you been neglecting your 'spiritual' spoke? We have a small homework assignment. Please go out and rent the movie," Pay it Forward" ...you'll see the power of kind and selfless acts.

Ideas:

• Pay for someone's bridge toll
• Put a quarter into someone's expired parking meter
• Buy your co-worker a coffee or tea
• Hold the door open for someone
• Say good morning to the first person you see in the morning
• Volunteer for a non-profit service
• Give a sandwich to a homeless person or simply acknowledge their presence

There are so many ideas, but we'll leave it up to you to decide. Don't let this idea end here...let's make tomorrow an international Curves"Random Act of Kindness Day"! Together, just maybe, we can make a difference in this world. As Mother Theresa said, "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."