I have been thinking a lot lately about kindness. It’s a simple term yet it can carry so much weight. Quite sadly, I don’t encounter it all that much.

I have a bad habit of trying to enforce kindness. Probably the sheep dog in me. At a recent visit to my local coffee house a gentleman (term used loosely) was being harsh with the lady taking his order. I moved up quite close behind him and just loomed (looming is a speciality of mine, at 6’6” it comes naturally).

He obviously felt me close behind him and turned shooting me a look and said “excuse me!” At which point I stepped back smiled at the lady behind the counter and said, “See, I knew he had one of those in his mouth”.

She chuckled and he shut up.

Ok, yea, I know, enforcing it is not the same as natural kindness but sometimes kindness needs a helping hand.

I get that we are all stressed out. Working too hard, spending too little time relaxing or playing (motorcycle riding is great for stress by the way). But so are the people we are encountering and they need a bit of lightness in their day and a bit of kindness coming their way.

To be quite honest, the more you practice kindness the more you get in return. The ladies behind the counter at that coffee house all laughed and joked with me after the, umm gentleman left. It obviously lifted their day.

I am not always so quick witted and too often find myself getting angry with others who are not showing kindness. But I am working on it.

Also, why is it that we seem to so often be the least kind to those we love? Taking them for granted and not giving them the benefit of the doubt that we extend to others? Familiarity is probably the main culprit. We expect those closest to us to “understand” when we are harsh. I spent too much of my adult life not being kind to my family. Not abusive, but not kind and for that I am heartily sorry. I am trying to do my best to amend for those past years.

It really takes very little to smile and be kind.

Give it a try.