For one day, make a resolution to meet everyone in your life with kindness. Let the car waiting in the driveway into the flow of traffic. Make eye contact with the tollbooth clerk. Reach out to a fellow classmate. Give extra patience to those people who press your buttons. Surprise someone with a random act of generosity.

Recently, a Tai Chi teacher waiting in line at a Dunkin' Donuts drive-in bought a cup of coffee for the person in the car behind him when he heard the driver honk. This set off a chain reaction in which the driver of that car bought coffee for the person in back of him — and it continued through the entire line. Studies have shown that when one person practices kindness, people three removes away become kinder. At the end of the day, write a journal entry, noting what actions you took and what effects you noticed.

Ji Hyang Padma in Living the Season: Zen Practice for Transformative Times