I know you’ve heard this saying before. Or seen it on a bumper sticker. Or on a yard sign. Or a shirt. Or a plaque. In this day and age, kindness can be hard to come by. Which doesn’t make any sense, really. Why not be kind? Kindness is free. And it doesn’t have to be hard. Or time consuming. Or expensive. You can even do it anonymously. You never know how that one little moment might make someone else’s day.
When I’m invited to give a presentation to community groups, no matter what the topic, I end with an exhortation to be kind to one another. Always. I started it right when COVID was gearing up, because I figured life was sucky enough. Why be assholes to one another? Since I couldn’t very well word it exactly that way and still sound professional, I went “be kind” instead.
I’ve witnessed, been the recipient of, and instigated acts of kindness all my life. I hope to do so for many more years. Here, in no particular order, are a few that have stuck with me over the years.
The very first act of kindness that I can remember happened when I was probably eight or nine years old. We were at the mall, and I’d found the perfect Christmas gift for my father--a ceramic mug that said I <heart> Dad. I bought it with my very own money (God bless dollar stores) and couldn’t wait to give it to him. Then, tragedy struck. Somebody jostled me and I dropped the bag it was in. The mug was broken. And I was out of money. Tears ensued. My uncle immediately produced another dollar and we went back to the store. He even carried the new mug all the way home for me. I didn’t realize it until many years later, but that moment is why I overpay at lemonade stands and leave quarters in the “return change” slots of various machines.
My junior year of high school, I had the opportunity to shadow a magazine editor in Chicago for a day. The woman met me at the train station and we hoofed it several blocks to her office. On the way we got breakfast, and she picked up an extra coffee and sandwich. It turns out she passed the same gentleman every morning and had gotten in the habit of chatting and bringing him food. She introduced me, and he shook my hand. I’d never met a person experiencing homelessness before. My parents had always told me to ignore them or cross the street. As ignorant as it makes me sound, that magazine editor taught me that everyone deserves at least a smile and eye contact.
When I was nineteen, I needed to get home from college. My folks couldn’t come get me, so I needed to take the Amtrak train into Union Station, walk a couple blocks, and then hop a Metra train from Ogilvie up to my hometown. My dad wrote out the directions (this was years before cell phones and GPS) and I followed them to the letter, but didn’t see Ogilvie. I finally asked a nice-looking man if he knew where the train station was. He took one look at my slightly frantic self, sporting a college sweatshirt and ginormous duffle bag, and gently pointed out I was, in fact, standing in front of Ogilvie. Honestly, somebody should slap a sign on that building. He took me inside, helped me buy my ticket, and explained how to figure out which track my train was on. Now I try to go the extra mile when someone asks me for directions.
My point is, kindness can go a very long way no matter who you are or where you come from. I could go on and on, but you’ve probably got better things to do than listen to me ramble all day. I’ll leave you with two websites to check out next time you need a little dose of kindness.
Good News Network - A news website that focuses solely on good news, uplifting videos, and the positivity in life. I stumbled across it via a BuzzFeed article and now I’m addicted.
FreeRice.com - Part of the United Nations World Food Programme, this site tests your vocabulary skills. For every word you define correctly, the site’s sponsors send the cash value of ten grains of rice to the WFP. Also rather addicting.
And remember, above all, be kind to one another. Always.
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