We are all human. Actually, we all have souls or purpose, because I want to include non-human life in the world. (Shout out to all our pets like my cat, Cosmo!) This means things happen, and they are not always the best. We experience loss, hurt, deception, violence, and so much more. Sadly, sometimes we even inflict it, whether it was on purpose or by accident.
I hate to say it, but the world can be cruel. But it doesn’t all have to be. This is where the importance of kindness comes in. Sadly, I believe we can take it for granted, especially the little acts of kindness we see constantly.
Did you know that World Kindness Day was the thirteenth of November? In honor of kindness, I wanted to share a little act of kindness in my life that still regularly crosses my mind and makes life brighter. First off, we have the fact that whenever I was homesick from school during my time in elementary school, my mom would always leave me three fruit-flavored Tootsie Rolls and a note.
She worked during the day and could not take off whenever I got sick. But luckily, my grandma, grandpa, and two uncles had lived with us to help take care of me (and that in itself is a kindness that I will never stop appreciating). You are probably thinking it is just candy. Although to me, it wasn’t. My mom is my favorite person in the world! She always has been, and, like most little girls, I just wanted to be around her, especially when I got sick.
I did not truly understand that when she went to work, she was actually working and not just having fun. Whenever I went to her job with her, it seemed like the most fun thing in the world. So, when she was gone, little me was jealous and just wanted her. She took the time in the morning, before she left, and I was still sleeping, to leave those things for me that made my day. It showed me how much I mattered to her, that she was missing me too, and it was the first thing I got to see in the morning when I woke up. I know it might seem so little, but things like that are so impactful and important.
I grew up lucky, and I am so grateful to have had some of the influences I had in my life then and now. They made me who I am through every experience and made sure I knew how to be kind, even with the littlest things. I know I can mess up in this part, though, like I said, we can do things that can be mean. None of us in the world is perfect, but it is important to out way the bad with the good and try to leave someone’s life with more light in it than it was before you showed up, even if it was for a second. You can never truly know what can be going on in another person’s life or a living thing’s life (like other animals), but we can control how we impact it, and everyone needs a little love or kindness.