Thursday 12 April 2018

K is for Katara #AtoZChallenge

Kindness was on my mind when I first sat down to write this post today.

A few things happened yesterday that made me think of this oft-spoken-of but not-always-translated-into-action word.

Simple acts of kindness are ALWAYS possible.

Like housework, you may not notice acts of kindness when they're being done but their absence can leave a very bad taste in your mouth.

So paying attention to how we behave towards strangers, friends, family and acquaintances is important. Being courteous towards strangers is as necessary as not taking ones close friends and family for granted. What we say, don't say, the words we choose, the tone, the gestures, the non verbal communication: all play an important part in communicating kindness or the lack of it.

A simple phrase called 'thank you' is such a wonderful tool to acknowledge someone who's held the door for you, brought you a drink (even if it's their job to do it), called you on a day you were not feeling well, offered to drive you, or simply visited your blog.

The absence of such courtesies makes me cringe. 

"Have no expectations." say wise souls. 

Is expecting social courtesies like thank-you, please, an occasional how-are-you message from a friend/family, looking the server in the eye when he/she brings you your food/drink and acknowledging their presence too much to ask? 

Before this post turns into a rant. I'll bring myself to a halt. 

Well, this morning I was feeling a bit off because I'd not seen kindness where I felt it was due. So, to blow off the  cobwebs of discontent, I decided to drive to a place in Doha which I enjoy visiting and its name happens to begin with the letter 'K'. 

It's called Katara Cultural Village. I clicked a few photos. It was hot and the sun was strong, so the photos may look too bright (the sun here does that to colours). The walk did the trick, though.  My heart feels lighter and the day looks brighter:)

Let's go...

Works of locally based artists greet you in the car park


The Blue Mosque


And the Gold Mosque
Pigeon towers are a fine example of Islamic architectural ingenuity. 
The towers attract birds to roost. 
Bird droppings are then collected to be used as fertilizer etc.

I headed back to my car .

 As I was putting this post together, 
my friend Bhupi sent me a WhatsApp message: 
a list of words collected by The Washington Post's Style Invitational.
They'd asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.
The definition of the 'K' word on the list knocked me off my chair:

"-Karmegeddon (n): it's like, when everybody is sending off all these Really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer."

So, let's be kind people:)
What acts of kindness have you witnessed recently? 
Or wished you had seen someone act with kindness?

29 comments:

  1. Lovely photos, that place looks amazing. Sending you some kindness to hopefully make you feel a bit better :-)
    https://iainkellywriting.com/2018/04/12/k-is-for-komarno-slovakia-and-komarom-hungary/

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  2. Kindness - such a simple thing to offer and it seems these days, simple to forget. Dear Arti, your words this day brought to me a kindness. The photos brought soothing warmth to this shivering soul. It is now pouring rain here (not snow - I should be grateful right?) but the temperature is just 2°C. Thank you for brightening my day.
    Blessings and hugs. xx

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    Replies
    1. Keep warm and safe April.
      Hope the cold spell in your part of the world ends soon.
      Warm hugs. xx

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  3. Most recent act of kindness was this, one of our daughters called this morning and asked if her father needed a ride to his doctor's appointment.

    I like the idea of pigeon roosts and then collecting the droppings for fertilizer. It made me remember a house we lived in when I was six or seven and the way pigeon droppings had built up on a ledge below where they roosted. Nobody ever cleaned them up or used them for fertilizer. What a waste and what a dismal sight it was.

    http://findingeliza.com/

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    Replies
    1. Your daughter is a good soul:)
      Bird droppings can be a dismal sight, so I was very impressed to find out how it's harvested in this part of the world.

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  4. I like the definition of Karmegeddon. Very true :-)

    Happily, kindness is always around us. Sometimes we fail to see it.

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    1. Thank you for pointing it out Eva...yes, we sometimes fail to see it. I will pay attention now:)

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  5. katara cultural village looks wonderful, beautiful artworks. I like karmegeddon - it sounds like a word to use on bad days, kind of serious but not quite.

    thank you for your visit to my blog, have a lovely day.

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  6. Good for you for taking care of yourself.

    Beth
    https://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/12/knowledge-2/

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  7. Karmageddon - to which one can only say..., "Dude!"
    ;-)
    I can see why you enjoy visiting this place - it looks "settling" somehow.
    (And gorgeous.)

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    1. It's indeed 'settling'. And there's a little place that sells strong tea there, which helps:)

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  8. Hari OM
    Oh yes, I couldn't agree more; a smile costs absolutely nothing and can soften the edge of any barb. A lovely outing... YAM xx

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  9. Fantastic pctures! To me a simple thank you for even something minor pleases me. Sadly it seems to be happening less. I have to admit that if I'm not thanked for, say, holding open a door I often sarcastically say 'My pleasure' fairly loudly!

    A-Z of My Friend Rosey!

    A-Z of My Friend Rosey!

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  10. I've been blessed with very kind neighbors and friends and co-workers . . .and family too. Tonight my dear husband brought dinner home and I didn't have to cook after a long day at work. I've also had several people hold open the door for me just today!

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    1. Lovely Marcy. Your comment has made me smile:)
      Thank you for visiting my blog.

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  11. Kindness is something that we all need at all times, And it is something that we can practice every single time and can make life around us a little better, one smile and hug at a time.
    Love the artworks at Katara Cultural Village and it seems to be a lovely place to spend some quality time.

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    1. It's a fabulous place. This is where Doha Film Festival is hosted. A farmers market is set up in the winter months...there's something for everyone here.
      Put it on your list for when you visit Doha, Shilpa:)

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  12. Kindness - you've done us one Arti by sending your beautiful pictures thank you. Also for highlighting the value of simple thank you's or simple acts of kindness to strangers and friends ...

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  13. "Simple acts of kindness are ALWAYS possible" - yes, yes, yes! It's hard for me to understand how people forget this so readily, and now I'm imagining that just like every time a company updates its policies on line they insist you affirm your compliance or you can't proceed, perhaps all humans need to have periodic reminders.

    Your posts and photos always feel like a kindness to my heart - thank you!

    Karmegeddon is fabulous. And I love the invitation of the word game in the first place - I'll have to put that aside until after April I think, but I think it sounds like a fun thing to consider.

    Wishing you a day filled with an abundance of loving-kindness!

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    1. Thank you Deborah.
      I REALLY like your idea of reminders to humans:) Only, if it were this easy!
      In fact, I thought of you when I first read the list. The word game sounds exactly like your cup of tea to me.
      Hope you give it a shot.

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  14. I love Pigeon towers - what a cool, useful idea! So many cities complain about pigeon poo and here is an answer.

    One of the kind acts I witnessed today: Young child helped younger sibling walk safely down to the beach, carrying toys and holding hand. They were so cute. Later, older sibling helped to build a moat in the sand around youngster. Youngster loved it.

    Katara looks lovely and a great place to go. Love your writing and photos, as always!

    Emily In Ecuador

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  15. You touched upon an attribute which is sadly lacking in today’s world .
    Everyone seems to be in a hurry and has or finds no time to be kind .
    While on the topic ,I must share a recent discovery - we were out of town recently and an old woman came up to my husband asking for alms - and he did the kindest thing ever- he bought her lunch ! - I thought that was an extremely kind gesture- my love and respect for him definitely went up a notch that day .
    Sorry if I strayed away from commenting on your blog but you make us think of things and incidents and feelings which we wouldn’t otherwise refer to .
    Bless you !

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  16. Oh YESS! Kindness & Humility definitely touches anyone
    ............and everyone!

    As a yearly routine,
    my Amma lives with us..from late winters to summers. You know how it is as parents we have some list of instructions for our kids for almost every situations…they may hear some, ignore some, object some & agree with some…..so here it is…sharing one sweet memory during her stay.


    It’s shocking to see how time has flown
    and how fast our kids have grown...
    Surprisingly, each year she remarks without fail,
    "WOW" you have grown so tall & frail!”

    How our once strong parents,
    .......have rapidly slowed down!
    Not just them, even we have moved on
    How, to read small texts, crazily we turn the paper up & down.

    My Amma who covered 4km in 15mts, those days..
    Comes up with funny excuses for not walking, everyday.
    And the few outings if & when we go together,
    The kids raced ahead & I would slowly walk with her!!

    Something changed this time around,
    As Amma walked down,
    This time there was no race,
    Her grandchildren simply matched with her pace.

    It was a sight to see,
    A pleasant change for me,
    Them walking, talking & holding hands
    No reminders nor instructions it required.

    Those Words of wisdom, I thought
    may disappear……but not fully lost
    All that we say & share,
    Surely got registered somewhere…

    Kids may appear distant at times,
    you must have also felt ignored sometimes...
    but something speaks for itself,
    Kindness & upbringing ingrained in themselves!!!!

    ------yours truly,
    Me


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