MAY THE BUDS OF KINDNESS BURST INTO BLOSSOM….

                             

Acrylic painting by me

Shama

 

 

Remy

 

 

 

A few weeks ago, much to my surprise and delight, I received a bunch of flowers from a lovely young lass bearing, not only her thoughtful, unexpected gift, but a heart-warming, beaming smile. Until that day many years had passed by since I’d received flowers. The unexpected gift was a gift that kept on giving. The flowers weren’t everlasting daisies, but they certainly were everlasting.  As if the floral array had been touched by magic, beautiful white blossoms kept bursting forth from the abundance of buds, giving me joy for nigh on five weeks.  It was as if spring had sprung before spring had actually sprung. 

The rippling effect of the young lady’s act of kindness lingers.  Kindness is always most welcome.  Credit, too, to the young lady’s parents for a job well done. They must be very proud of their daughter and, deservedly, of themselves, as well.  Their daughter is a ray of sunshine.

My hope is I am able to ‘pay it forward’…pay the kindness, the thoughtfulness, forward.  One must never let an opportunity go by.  

Freely giving our smiles to others is rewarding…not only to the recipient, but also to the giver.  Each one of us has more than enough smiles to go around.  If smiles are momentarily misplaced, don’t stop searching.  They are there.  When you find them, dust them off, and commence spreading.  Once the seeds of happiness are sown they’ll sprout and propagate.  Before you can say “Rose Bud” they’ll blooming well burst into bloom…just you wait and see.

To quote Aesop; “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is wasted.” 

Kindness is powerful.  Let’s make kindness contagious, allowing it to spread faster and more far afield than any pandemic; no vaccinations or quarantines necessary.        

The late US Shadow Senator, Jesse Jackson, once said; “Never look down on anybody, unless you’re helping them up.”  

Without forcing it, let’s be kind until being kind becomes second nature… better still, first nature…until kindness and thoughtfulness become natural, unconscious actions.   Act without pretension, but with sincerity.

“Cruel to be kind…” is a most ridiculous comment. Good intentions or not; whether he repented or not, Hamlet should’ve spun a different phrase.  Nobody should witness cruelty and unkindness.  No child, no teen, and no adult should ever be a victim of cruelty and/or unkindness.  Importantly, the same also applies to animals.

A million years ago when I was a kid having a pen pal was an interesting, fun pastime.  Handwritten letters to friends living in other countries were exchanged.  In most cases, pen pals never met in person.  The postman’s arrival was eagerly awaited in the hope he would drop off a letter from an overseas friend. Writing unkind, nasty words in letters to a pen pal never entered one’s mind.  Nowadays, with social media, and an abundance of inane TV realities shows running rampant, it’s become the ‘norm’ for folk to be nasty towards each other. Too many ‘reality’ participants, after their five minutes before the cameras, believe they’re “celebrities”. Tossing spitefulness around like confetti, they’ve not a care for the feelings of others.  Cattiness is abhorrent.  Faceless ‘keyboard cowards’ spew unkind, snide comments without a second thought. It’s not attractive behaviour.  

There is too much hate, and far too much vitriol in today’s world. Being kind to others is being kind to one’s own self.

 If my two furry paw pals can be kind enough to allow me to share their bed, surely to goodness humans can be kind to each other.  With the advent of spring…let’s allow kindness to bloom in plenitude.  May the blossoms of kindness be long-lasting…everlasting.

Spring Rolls: Heat 1tbs oil in pan/wok over high heat. Add 2 minced garlic cloves; stir; add 400g ground pork or chicken; cook until it turns white. Add 1-1/2c shredded carrot, 1-1/2c bean sprouts, 1-1/2c shredded green cabbage and 8 chopped mushrooms. Cook 3mins or until veggies are wilted. Add 1tsp cornflour, 2tsp soy sauce and 1-1/2tbs oyster sauce; cook 1min until liquid is gone. The filling shouldn’t be watery; cool. Meanwhile, mix 2tsp cornflower in 1tbs water, for sealing rolls. Defrost 15-20 spring roll wrappers; carefully peel off one wrapper, leave others covered under damp tea towel. Place wrapper smooth side down in a diamond position. Place a very heaped dessertspoon of filling on bottom. Roll up halfway, fold sides in; then finish rolling. Use cornflour sludge to seal. They should be about 12 cm/ 5" long, 2.5cm/ 1" wide once wrapped. Pour enough oil in wok so it is double the height of the spring rolls. Heat on med-high until hot. Carefully place spring rolls in the oil (4 or 5 at a time); cook, turning occasionally, until deep golden…1-1/2 to 2mins. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining spring rolls. Baking option: Place spring rolls on a rack; place rack on a tray. Spray very generously with oil all over. Bake at 200C 20-25mins until golden and crispy - no need to turn. Serve hot with Sweet and Sour Sauce; Combine 2tsp cornflour, 2tbs water, 1/2c apple cider vinegar, 1/3c brown sugar, 2tbs tomato sauce and 2tsp soy sauce in small saucepan over med-heat. Bring to simmer, stirring often; simmer until thickens to taste, 3-5mins.