From Liz, I learned of Amanda’s blog Kind Over Matter. My immediate response was “this is what I need right now.” While Amanda’s work encompasses so many themes including awareness, appreciation, gratitude, creativity, art, to name several, I want to focus on kindness.
Why kindness? Out of a deep feeling of connectedness, Amanda describes her desire "to pour kind over matter, to create an unstoppable mass of positive energy, kind matter, a
nebula of kind matter, if you will. I am just one tiny star but I've attracted you to me, I get a
kick out of introducing you to other awesome individuals on the same spiritual wavelength &
practices we can engage in together in order to make our time here together even better." (How to Rock this Trip Around the Sun, p.3.)
From the Online Etymology Dictionary: c.1300, "courtesy, noble deeds," from kind (adj.) + -ness. Meaning "kind deeds; kind feelings" is from late 14c. O.E. kyndnes meant "nation; produce, an increase."
Amanda’s work exemplifies courtesy, nobility, generosity and increase, from her promotion of other artists’ work, to her Kind Kindred series, to sharing the spotlight with regular blog contributors. One of her manifestations of kindness is enabling others to “share your story.” I was honored to participate in one of her "Seven Souls, One Musing" on the topic of a favorite childhood memory. And Amanda's weekly compilation from others' sites and artwork, "Friday's Lovelies," never disappoints.
It is kindness in spreading encouragement on a daily basis, and even creative projects such as this printable which generated a remarkable response.
It would be difficult for me to pick a favorite post from Amanda and her collaborators, getting so much as I do from the daily quote and accompanying image (an act of kindness through inspiration, again from the Latin "to inflame, to blow into" or from the Middle Ages "to fill ... with grace;") or any other phenomena in the Kind Over Matter galaxy.
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