Be Kind

Kindness is so rare anymore, and even more rare is genuine kindness. The type that’s not driven by accolades and recognition. The type of kindness that is purely for the sake of being a decent fucking human being.

Prior to the pandemic, I sat at the store one day, waiting for my grocery pick up order to be ready. Literally the point is to not have to walk into the grocery store and go through the horrible act of grocery shopping, and then someone else loads the items into your car and you drive off. I sat there and watched a woman scrolling through her phone while another woman loaded her groceries into the back of her vehicle. The woman loading the groceries was hired and paid to do this specific job. . . But personally, I was taught to help if you are able. Until the pandemic, I always got out and helped, and now that I’m not allowed to I feel guilty as hell.

My one neighbor always brings our garbage cans up to the house for us on days that we leave before it’s picked up. While our other neighbor continues to rev his motorcycle at odd hours. . . The morning I began this post, in DECEMBER, mind you, it was 615am when his engine rumbled my shower floor.

Recently there was a lost little boy at work, and one of the neighborhood kids brought him to my office so I could help. It sincerely touched my heart. I hope his mom knows how well she’s doing.

At the gas station a guy saw me coming for the entrance and held the door for me. And then as I was walking past him thanking him, he saw another woman coming for the door and waited for her, as well.

It literally takes no time at all to be decent.

And I believe in karma, and what goes around comes around. I believe that you are repaid for your small kind actions. . . Just as I believe that you are repaid for being an asshole.

You cannot treat people like garbage and expect good things to come of it. You cannot be nice and caring on the surface but really only self serving inside. Your true colors will show, eventually.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. . . Surface shit does not matter. Who you are inside is what really shows through. You can be model skinny and have flawless skin and designer clothes and be ugly, because you treat people horribly. Or you can have visible flaws and imperfections, just next to broke, and people will be drawn to you because your authenticity outshines the physical aspects.

And really, it feels better to be decent. Even when people have done you wrong, treat them with kindness. Because if they are doing you wrong, it’s coming from inside them – they have some inner turmoil, some demon riding their back, some ugliness that is making them turn around and act ugly. Treat others as you would want to be treated, always. Even if you feel they don’t deserve it. Especially then. Because maybe your kindness will be a light in the dark. Because maybe your kindness will show them that despite what they’re going through, despite maybe what ugliness they’ve encountered in their past, that not everyone is ugly. You never know what another person is going through. And you never know how a kind word or gesture will help them through it.

Hold doors, help when you can, don’t be an asshole. . .

Be kind. Always.