We are given the choice every day; will I greet the world with a smile and open arms or keep to myself and shut it all off? The latter does not sound all that bad, I mean we owe it to ourselves every now and then to just isolate our minds and body to get away from some chaos. The first option sounds pretty good in retrospect, but it can be a little overwhelming at times. Being kind to every person, even when they use slang that annoys you or they talk about things you have no interest in; It can be super exhausting. Does that mean we have the right to be mean though? I see it all the time; someone gets mad and walks away, another just completely zones out, someone else uses hurtful words. That is some ugly stuff.
Personally, I am as social as they come. I see a stranger, I say hello. I am standing in line to get food and the guy in front of me has no flex, I pay for him; no big. People always say “I don’t know how you know so many people,” and “Wow, do you ever not say hello?” and my answer is always “why would I not?” Why would I not greet familiar faces, and offer them some help on homework, or see how their family is doing? Sure, people find that annoying, but honestly it fuels me to be nice. It builds relationships I never would have had and it makes me an approachable person.
A little bit of kindness can go a long way; for them, and for yourself. There is a monk here on campus who I see now and then, and I believe it is his personal goal to say hello to every person he sees; not an exaggeration. Today I was reading alone and he approached me with a warm hello and an enormous smile. We talked for a minute and he went on his way, greeting new faces with every step, and I just had to pause. You see, it does not matter how large your act of kindness is, but rather the depth that it holds. When you show someone you see them, and let them know they are not alone, you feel full. I am talking like just-ate-an-entire-large-pizza full. And you think, “That was too easy and I feel great and I need to do it again,” and BOOM; your kindness starts to snowball and your world becomes bigger and your face hurts because your smile just cannot help from hiding. (Cheesy, but hey it is the truth)
It feels good to be kind because you feel like you are worth something. Because maybe that kid you bought lunch for just failed a quiz. Because maybe that compliment you gave to that girl in your history class on her new sweater made her feel ten times better than a minute ago. Making others feel good, makes you feel like a million bucks. You never know what others are going through, but you do not have to know their story to be nice to them, just be kind for the sake of being kind.
Love, peace, and warm blessings (&HCXO),
Alaina