K is for Kindness

I've known that K is for kindness for a while now, but for some reason it just never seemed like the right time to sit down and tell you about it. I just couldn't find the right mindset. Until today. Today was a rough day at work. Well, today was the latest in a string of rough days at work. I left frustrated with coworkers, irritated with power struggles, annoyed by office politics and policies. And when I got home, it hit me: I am ready to talk to you about kindness.

You see, baby girl, it's one thing to be kind to others when the sun is shining on you, when your life is clipping along exactly how you want it to, when fate and circumstance seem to align and you wind up getting a free donut tossed into your order at the local bakery. Those days, smiling at strangers, waiting your turn, holding the door, giving a friend a sympathetic ear, basically going the extra step to bestow your own good fortune, your own good mood, on others is easy.

It's the days that seem to fight against you, the days that wear you down, that kindness becomes just one more thing that you don't want to have to put effort into. One more thing you think you shouldn't have to put effort into.

One of the best pieces of advice I've ever heard is this: No matter how little they might deserve it, always be kind to others. Everyone is fighting their own battles.

Keep that last part in mind. Everyone is fighting their own battles. That person who just cut you off in traffic? Maybe they just lost their job. That friend who betrays your trust? Maybe they are struggling to find their own place in their world, their own identity. Everyone is fighting their own battles, so even those people who scowl at you, who treat you without respect, who seem to deserve every bit of ill will and lack of consideration you can throw at them, even those people--be kind to them.

Try to live above reproach. There will be a million, a trillion wrongs done to you in life that you can point your finger at disapprovingly. But try to never let that finger be pointed at you. Don't use others' bad behavior as an excuse for your own. You are your own person, in charge of your own behavior. If someone treats you poorly, respond with kindness. It will be hard to do, and it will seem counter intuitive, but it will keep you from falling into the pit. It will keep you true to yourself. And the more frequently you do it, the easier it will become.

Make kindness a habit. Practice it. The world is a tough place. Whether it seems like it or not, the world is hard on everyone. If you are in the habit of being kind to others, regardless of the kind of day you have had, regardless of how they treat you, you will brighten someone's day without even realizing it. You may, in fact, be the only bright spot in that person's day. Or week. Or month. Being kind to others is like being a shining spot of sun . . . you really never know when there might be a person for whom you are the ONLY spot of sunshine they will see. You really never know how you might brighten someone's day. What you might mean to them.

When I was in high school, there was a girl who tried out for every sport. She was not athletic. She was not coordinated. She was our water girl, our manager, our ball girl, but she never actually made a team as a player. But she still came out and tried out for every single sport. My best friend and I, impressed by her tenacity, befriended her and encouraged her through every grueling week.

Years later, we both received a note from her. She had dropped out of school, but she wanted us to know how, in those early years, our encouragement, kindness, and friendship were one of the only things that had kept her coming back.

You see baby girl, you never know what kind of an impact you are going to make on someone's life by just being kind.

Yes, the world can be a tough place. But it doesn't discriminate. It's tough on everyone. You never know what private battles someone might be facing. So be kind. Be kind and make a difference in someone's day, even if it's just a temporary feeling of happiness they get when they see you smile at them.

Be kind and make a difference in someone's life.