Lately, I feel like everyone around me is struggling. I’m
not talking about “problems” like dirty houses and kids that won’t listen, I’m
talking about real problems. The ones that break your heart. Things like
parents giving their child shots of chemo every week, people unsure of how
they’ll pay rent next month, or people struggling with a death of a family
member.
In a world where there are a lot of awful things happening
around us: cancer, infertility, homelessness, and many other things, it’s hard
to know what we can do to help others. There is a popular quote that I love and
it says “in a world where you can be anything, be kind”.
I know some people seem to think this world is going to “heck
in a handbasket” because sometimes it can feel like all we ever see are people
who cut off others on the freeway, tear each other down on social media, or who
take the last jar of Who Hash. To that I say “we only see what we want to”. Yes,
there may be some unkind people, but I honestly believe that most of us are
nice and kind people that are willing to help.
Recently, I posted on my personal Facebook page asking
others what the KINDEST thing that happened to them was, and let me tell you,
the world is GOOD.
Some of the answers were things like: strangers buying their
groceries or Christmas presents, friends and family bringing dinners to those
in need, coworkers celebrating each other’s personal accomplishments, friends
making sacrifices for one another, friends visiting each other in the hospital,
or people finding a $5.00 bill and a “movie on me” note in the Redbox case.
I also have friends and family who have received hundreds of
dollars anonymously, received a generous donation on a GoFundMe account, or
have received used clothing for free.
One of my favorite responses on my Facebook post was from my
mom. She was crying one day in her car on the phone in the parking lot of a
grocery store. She had a hard day with her own mother who was currently in
assisted living. Next thing she knows, a man walked up to her car with a flower
and said “this is for you, you look like you could use this.”
The world is GOOD.
As we enter this season of the year when others may feel even
lonelier than normal, let’s try to be a little kinder, be a little more
patient, and don’t assume the worst. Take an extra few minutes to put another
person’s shopping cart away, send a thank you note to someone who’d appreciate
it, or take dinner to someone who needs it. Be the listening ear to someone who
hardly gets visitors or just send a text to someone to see how they’re doing. No
matter the stage of life you’re in, there is something you can do to be kind.
Published in the Tremonton Leader in November 2019
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