Be kind to others. Something so simple, but so overlooked. Be polite when the barista messes up your coffee order. Even tell them they are doing a great job. Be patient when someone takes your parking spot. Let them have it, they might be running late. Offer a smile to a mother when her child is crying in the store. Make her feel less alone. Stop to talk to an elderly neighbor, even when you are in a rush. It could be the first social interaction he had all week.
This past year has been a roller coaster for every single one of us. There were disappointments, fear, grief, anger, the list goes on. Some were affected in worse ways than others, but that does not mean anyone’s problems are too small to be upset over.
Kindness humanizes us. It brings people together. Whether it is being kind to a family member or a stranger, it lets people know that no matter what they are going through, they are not alone. I often try to practice making a conscious effort to give a random compliment to someone every single day. I want people to feel appreciated on days where they might be low.
It is weird to think that something so small as buying a coffee for the person behind you in line, or offering a simple smile as you walk by someone can change their whole day. The average person can see up to 5,000 faces a day. Each one of those people going through their own struggle. One of those faces can be having the worst day of their entire life. A simple act of kindness has the power to make someone’s day a little less dark.
On April 26, 2011, my world with many others went a little less bright. A 19 year old kind soul was taken from us to soon. Every year on the anniversary of his passing, his family asks people to do a random act of kindness to honor him. So as the 10 year anniversary approaches, I challenge anyone reading this to also do a random act of kindness. Pay for the person’s coffee behind you in the driveway, send flowers to a loved on, give someone random a complement. Whatever you choose to do, do it with an open heart. No act of kindness is ever too small. You never know how much someone might need to smile that day.