I have a sticker on my refrigerator that says “kind.” Above it, I have written the word “be.” If there is one thing I want to teach to my children, it is the importance of being kind.
I have been bullied before and I’ve had to deal with A LOT of rude people. (Doesn’t everybody??) But it’s the people who are kind, respectful and nice that I like to remember. These people make me smile and make me think that, despite the bad things in this world, in this life and harsh realities, there is still good out there from people who are kind to others.
Being kind to others is just a huge thing for me. My sister once complained that I am too nice. (Heh.) I have known too many people who were not so kind, not so nice. And downright rude (like a certain someone at a bus stop this morning who totally acted like I wasn’t even there).
Yes, I have been known to get angry at people, but that doesn’t mean I seek them out to beat them up, send them hateful e-mails, spout mean things about them on Facebook or leave “presents” on their doorstep. My methods of dealing with anger at people include journaling, muttering things, ignoring them, giving them the cold shoulder or shooting a dirty look their way when I see them. So,YES, I DO get angry at people, but I’m not going to intentionally be mean to them because I’m angry at them or something. All the same, it's not like I'll be their good buddy or love them to pieces, especially if they have caused physical harm to me in the past. If that issue is not resolved, THEN it is hard to be kind to that person in return. But I won't seek them out just to be mean to them, only because they have done bad things to me in the past. I will wait until we make peace or resolve our differences. In other words, I will cross that bridge when I find it.
I don’t want to be mean to people. Sure I get angry or moody or depressed, but I don't want to be mean. I want to be kind to people.
And it just means a lot if people return that favor when they are around me. If they are nice, if thy are kind, and if they even ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I EXIST ... then, you know, that means something. Something pretty darn good.
There’s just too much bad stuff in this world. Let’s not add to it. Tear down those walls, tear away judgments, look past a person’s unattractive appearance, past their differences, and try to be kind to the person you find amid all of that other stuff. Because when you reach out to that person with an act of kindness, or even a smile, a kind word, then you’ve just given that person a special gift: A happy memory to last them a lifetime.
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2 comments:
When I used to stand at the bus stop with my kids, there was one lady who either ignored me or made me feel stupid somehow. There is always someone like that at the bus stop. There was no reason for it, it was just her horrible personality. I tried to be the better person, eventually the kids stopped having to take the bus and that stress was gone. Just rrmember, its temporary. You cant change these people, they are always too busy to notice little ole us or to be kind.
Thanks, Nancy. I appreciate the comment. :) This bus stop that we went to yesterday is not the normal one. Jen wanted to go to this one (about a block from the other one) because her BFF is at this one. THIS particular BFF is the one whose mom has said in the past that she didn't like me because SHE thinks I am ugly. I thought by now she'd changed. But I learned more information today about what was going on yesterday so it turns out she was not ignoring me because she still felt that way. Something else was going on. The BFF SAYS her mom does like me now, but who knows. She doesn't email me or anything. *shrug* We have gone back to using her regular bus stop. At least the mom there is nice! :)
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