Kindness

 

What is kindness?  It can come in so many different ways and often it's a very small effort that to the one giving it seems nearly inconsequential and yet to the one receiving it, that small act, can make all the difference in their lives.  I've heard stories of people feeling lost and wanting to end their lives, but because someone smiled at them or said a kind word they changed their minds and chose to live. 

I had a job as a traumatic brain injury specialist, during that job I worked with an individual who suffered greatly from anxiety, especially in certain situations.  Working with her I could see her anxiety start to build and she perceived that she was fighting obstacles all alone.  All it took was for me to reach my hand out and place it gently on her arm and she would immediately calm and her breathing would be more steady.  That was nothing to me, yet to her it meant she wasn't alone and someone was on her side.

Start by greeting people with a smile, reach out your hand and offer a gentle touch of encouragement, give a sincere honest compliment, show the world kindness and maybe, just maybe, you will inspire someone else to be kind as well.