The Wonder of Kindness

3 of 45 Moments of Wonder

Have you ever looked around the world you live in and thought, “Why can’t people just be kinder to one another?” I ask myself this all the time.

The truth is that people are kind all the time. We just don’t always see it. So I think in the interest of being made kind by being kind, I want to share some kindness I have seen lately.

Our school recently held a festive breakfast. This annual event brings staff and students together to share a meal, to laugh, listen to the band play and is a celebration of how far we have come right before the break. I watched people purchase tickets, and then buy tickets for other kids who couldn’t afford one.

Ultimately, every student who showed up to school on the last day before the break, regardless of their ability to pay, participated. And mostly because of the kindness of our teenage students. We need to give them far more credit than we do. Our young people are showing kindness all over the world, in their communities, in their schools. If we open our eyes to see it, rather than to look for the ways they are screwing up and making mistakes (totally human characteristics, by the way), we may learn to be a little kinder.

I was given a gift by a teacher, a gift card to Tim Horton’s. What a thoughtful gift! What was even more thoughtful and gives me a moment to pause and consider the wonder of kindness, is that there were two cards. One for me, and a note requesting that the other be given to a person experiencing homelessness so they may have the dignity of paying for their own meal. What I love about this is that when she showed me kindness, she asked me to show kindness to another. When we are kind, we become more kind.

Winter is here. There are plenty of opportunities for us to show kindness, and in doing so, become kinder ourselves. What can we do? Shovel a driveway for a neighbour who can’t. Clear the snow off your spouse’s car when you leave for work in the morning. Give socks or mittens to a shelter. Socks are the most needed item, all year round. Offer to walk dogs at the Humane Society. Say a kind word to the person in your workplace or school who seems to be alone most of the time. Call your mom. She wants to hear from you. (I will call you today, Mom.)

Whatever you do, you will bring more light to the world. What a wonder, too, that by being kind, you are made more kind.