Do be kind

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.