constellations #23: small kindnesses no. 2

Hi again.

Back in August I sent out a newsletter that I described as “a list of small kindnesses, for you or for other people, from an individual or from the world, to whoever might need them.” I don’t know about you but I think I need them again. Yesterday morning I was in a funk and just wanted to listen to Bob Dylan sing “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” on repeat (I know!!) until I realized that Anohni recently released a cover version of the song, so then I listened to that on repeat for a little while. December 14 also marked a total solar eclipse in Sagittarius, which perhaps is why things are feeling just a bit off.

So — in any case— here’s another list of small kindnesses, mostly things I have noticed in the past couple months, with a few additions from some beloved friends. As always, if you have other small kindnesses you’d like to share, please tell me about them.

A(nother) list of small kindnesses:

• serially liking a friend’s tweets

• doing someone else’s dishes

• complimenting someone in front of their parents

• sharing the last cookie

• letting someone else take the first hot shower in the winter so the hot water runs out on you

• plugging your friend’s phone into the charger while they sleep

• alerting someone to a new song by a band they love

• noticing, in another person’s house, that the trash can is full and offering to take out the trash

• complimenting someone in front of their boss

• saying the difficult thing first

• scraping the ice and snow off someone’s car so they can stay inside where it’s warm

• “I’m glad you asked”

• “that’s a nice color on you”

• sharing streaming logins

• having control of the aux and putting on someone else’s new favorite song instead of your own

• complimenting someone in front of their dog

• homemade baked goods

• warm tea on a cold day

• ending a phone call with “i love you”

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Also in good news this week: some new songs from Bad History Month, a band who I think makes uncommonly thoughtful music.

“Looking up loving leaves in the wind knowing that I should be grateful / But utterly miserable hateful and unwise / composing mean emails and texts at the front of my mind / while I walk through the sublime / how many times?”

That feels like me. Maybe it feels like you, too. I hope we all look up this week.

xo,
M