Kindness, forgotten? Maybe...

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." ~Aesop

About a month ago, I was having a conversation with a colleague, and spoke my thoughts on kindness and manners. He suggested that I bottle it up and share it out, because the same words that resonated with me, stuck with him....so here's my attempt at creating deja vu in the form of my very first article written on LinkedIn. Kindness is something that often is overlooked, forgotten, or flat-out ignored as we carry on during our daily life activities. From saying "please," to thanking someone for helping you (with or without a smile), the little things that we were taught in grade school are as historic as our grade school diets. Is this a path that we want to continue down, where the world ends up being overrun by entitled and ungrateful persons who care not about their fellow human beings?

A couple years ago, I was reunited with a good friend from high school that I hadn't seen in 20+ years. We met at a local pick-up basketball game, and he had actually brought his high-school-aged son to play along side us 30 and 40-somethings, and I was immediately impressed by the young man's manners. This kid was tearing it up on the hardwood, yet never missed the opportunity to say "excuse me" or "thank you." In between games, while catching up with my buddy, I mentioned how impressed I was with how his son carried himself. The response that I received resonated within me such that I drill those words into my 6-year-old son to this day. He said, "Brother, from a young age, I have been telling my boys: 'Every day, try to make someone else's day better.'" So simple, and such a great principle to live by. It's an easy habit to gauge: all you have to do is just make people smile.

Lifting up someone's spirit can go a long way. It's contagious, and often comes back to you full circle. I recently read a sad, yet thought-provoking recap about the Aurora, Colorado Theater shooting during the premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises." One of the eyewitnesses sitting in the front row mentioned that minutes before the shooting started, he randomly made eye contact with the shooter and smiled. He went on to state that he strongly believed that this random exchange of a glance, allowed him to survive. Apparently the shooter looked his way and recognized him from the earlier glance.....and didn't shoot. Fact or fiction, that is one of those things that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up once you hear the story.

Fast forward to today, where my kiddo is now a Kindergarten-aged inquisitive soul, with energy for days. I am working on getting him to channel some of that energy to doing what my friend instilled into his boys for the better part of their lives. Make a difference by spreading joy and happiness to those who aren't as fortunate when it comes to their level of being happy. If you see a classmate that looks like they are having a bad day, check on them; if someone is eating alone at the lunch table, ask to join and find something fun to talk about; if you're able to positively contribute towards another's existence, why not? These are the words that I funnel his way over and over again, in the hopes that sometimes they stick. The goal is a contagious behavior of kids making other kids' days happier and more enriched with positive energy.

That's a great start, but where does that leave us bigger kids? We still live in a world where dirty looks in rush hour traffic are more common than waves of "thank you." We have a long way to go to turn even some of the negativity we exhibit, into positive (or even neutral) energy. So many factors play a part into how we act and react, and I will not dive down that rabbit hole at this time, because we all truly are products of our environment. The bottom line is that the great things that life has to offer often takes effort on our parts. How is it any different that for a more positive existence to surround us, it will take effort, some restraint, and plenty of compassion? Sometimes, we are too consumed with just going through the motions in our daily routines, that I believe the effort of being kind and genuine is often overlooked.....and not forgotten. Instead of throwing away leftovers at a restaurant, box it up and give it away to a homeless person in need. If we all make a conscious effort to be nicer, kinder human beings, perhaps the behavior will spread amongst the masses... and before we know it, the world is a much better place because of you! Perhaps this is my view/bias of everyone being good on the inside, but that's a topic for another future discussion!