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?