Let’s Get, “Kettle Glazed With Kindness”
Friend Movement would like to invite all of our friends to get, “Kettle Glazed With Kindness” with us in the weeks to come! Any moment that you feel embodies kindness will do, there are no right or wrong ways to express yourself with this campaign. Share your #KETTLEGLAZEDWITHKINDNESS moments with us via social media @friendmovement @kettleglazed
OUR #KETTLEGLAZEDWITHKINDNESS STORY
Eddie and I have had a long, but productive week at the Friend Movement office (So many exciting things in the works). After a long week, we like to treat ourselves to doughnuts at our favorite shop, Kettle Glazed. Seriously this place is magic, but the doughnuts are just part of the equation. What this place has that separates it from others like it, is CHARACTER. The staff is kind, the space is clean, and the energy is overwhelmingly positive. Anyway, I could go on for hours and never get to my actual story.
So, here it goes …
Eddie and myself embarked upon what we thought would be just another typical walk to get some of our favorite doughnuts and iced coffee, but what we were about to experience was to be far from typical. We walked into the store and immediately the sweet sugary smell of freshly backed goodness entered our noses. The smell awakening our child-like sensibilities and freeing us of fear, doubt, and any feelings of limitations – anything was possible. All we had to do was simply show up, receive, and be grateful. And receive we did! We ordered two doughnuts each and some iced coffee, and trust us, that coffee packs a great punch! With all of the running around we do in LA, this is the place to refuel on your caffeine.
Here I go again, anyway …
After placing the proper sugar and creamer in our coffee to taste, we sat down to dive into our sugary sin … warm, soft, melt in your mouth with a burst of flavor kind of sin … OH YES, YESSS, YESSSSSS!!! I’ll have what they’re having kind of moment! Apologies, I keep getting distracted.
Back to our story …
Eddie and I are enjoying our doughnuts and giggling to ourselves about life and all its twists and turns of fate, when …
ENTER STAGE LEFT:
A woman who was purchasing 3 doughnuts and 3 drinks for what we presume to be three people, but we will only know that fact if one day she reaches out to us and share her side of the story.
She struggled with her purse to find the money to pay for it, counting coins slowly to see if there was enough. Of course she could have used her debit card too, but it seemed that her mind was preoccupied with something else. Both Eddie and I at the same time looked at one another and found the appropriate amount of money and gave it to Carl, our doughnut specialist. We didn’t hesitate, we didn’t question if she had the money or not (wouldn’t have matter if she did/or didn’t), and we didn’t need anything in return. The moment felt so natural, so authentic, and the look on her face was utter surprise towards the act of simple kindness. We saw her for a brief moment smile, relax, and absorb that positive energy. She thanked us and went on her way, but little did she know she would remain in our thoughts an on our hearts.
After she left the shop, Eddie and I could feel our heart chakras burst open and fill with light as we wished her good energy for the rest of her day. Then, out of the blue, Carl comes over to where we were sitting with a fresh box of warm doughnuts on the house. He thanked us for stepping in when someone needed a friend and wanted to pass along the kindness. Now, this act of kindness was most generous and appreciated, but this kindness will also be adding another 30 minutes to our cardio sessions each day! We graciously accepted the doughnuts and looked forward to having them at the office for the next day or so, but that all changed in the next moment …
ENTER STAGE LEFT
A woman that, from on the outside, looked like she had been bent and weathered by life. Clothes ragged, hair tangled, and carrying one cloth bag with next to nothing in it (what we presume to have been all of her worldly possessions). Of course these were only our perceptions and we explored their validity before deciding what we needed to do. The answer became clear that the doughnuts we were just given moments before were not meant to be for us. We looked into the box one last time and wiped some salivation from our mouths and handed the box to our new friend, Gene.
Gene was a gentle soul that graciously welcomed our gift, but we could tell by her spirit that although she seemed to have nothing of material value, she was not the type to ask for anything. Her physical manifestation may not be what society has labeled as, “Beautiful”, but she was radiating more light and more beauty than any being we have ever encountered. As she slowly walked away, Eddie and I shared a quiet moment of gratitude and knew we would never be the same.
It’s moments like these that we encourage, cultivate, and create with our work at Friend Movement. What we experienced was not coincidence, it was a chain of positive events put in motion by one simple act of kindness. One small act of kindness can have a snowball effect and touch the lives of people that we may never meet. We are learning to see the humanity in all those around us, to recognize their light, and to humble ourselves to recognize that we are all made up of the same stuff. We are all cut from the same fabric and we are all connected. A simple smile and a hello can change someone’s entire day for the better. We each possess that power to influence positive change in our communities, but it must be a conscious effort on our parts to be awake and truly live in the moment and to dance in harmony with the world around us.
Opening a door for someone that may need a hand can renew faith in human compassion. Walking towards someone on the street that others walk away from, can help us overcome fear. Instead of fearing them, we can choose to ask them questions about who they are and how they got there. We strongly believe that each of us can experience instant happiness and a feeling of genuine connectivity when we challenge ourselves to transform our fear into curiosity. Through daily meditation on peace, love, kindness, friendship, and forgiveness we have the power to open up a world of abundance for ourselves and others. All we have to do is ask, believe, and demonstrate through our actions the kind of world we want to manifest. It can be one of fear and violence OR we can cultivate one of PEACE, LOVE, and RESPECT towards our equally beautiful, magical, and divine selves. The choice is ours and has always been ours, we are in charge of our own happiness, as individuals and as a community.
Sooooo, that’s our story and we’re “sticking to it”, get it , “sticking to it” … doughnuts … sugar … sticky … ? Anybody? Is this thing on? Tough crowd.
Thank you for being our friend!
Ronnie, Eddie, + FM Team
