There is one more Meiji Principle to share with you, and it is one that may seem the easiest to follow – until you try it!
Just for today, I will be kind to all living things, including myself.
We show kindness throughout our daily lives, making sure our child’s favorite shirt is clean for the dance, cooking a favorite dinner for a spouse, gently pulling the burrs out of the dog’s fur. Out in the world, too: Picking up a dropped item for a stranger; putting out birdseed during the winter; using eco-friendly fertilizers in your garden.
So check off the first part. You are kind to all living things.
Now for the second part . . . including myself.
What have you done for yourself lately? How will you continue to be kind to others if you’re cranky? How will you help your neighbor if you gobbled a handful of Thin Mints for breakfast and have now crashed in a heap on your couch? How will you drag that birdseed from the trunk of the car to the garage if you haven’t been to yoga class in weeks and your back is killing you?
Being kind to your self is not selfish; it is imperative. Put that thought in your head first, and then start slowly. Eat healthful foods. Get to yoga class regularly. Take a half hour to meditate or read a few chapters of your romance novel. Smile at yourself in the mirror. Drop the pebble of kindness into your self and watch the ripples move outward, touching everyone around you with your own special brand of Kind.
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