To the young woman working at St. Louis Bread Company who patiently encouraged the elderly customer to put his wallet away when he tried to pay you again for his dinner... and to the well-dressed woman who followed this gentleman around the parking lot with your umbrella in the cold rain while he searched for his car (your idea to use the key fob to make the horn honk was a winner):
Thank you for reminding us that kindness is always the right choice.
Many of us try to go about our days being nice to other people. I see lots of instances of niceness. So, why did the actions of these women stand out to me so vividly?
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I looked up the definition of nice.
nice /nīs/
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- Pleasant; agreeable; satisfactory: "we had a nice time".
- (of a person) Pleasant in manner; good-natured: "he's a really nice guy".
Then, the definition of kind.
kind /kīnd/
Adjective Having or showing a friendly, generous, and considerate nature: "a kind woman".
Then, it hit me. Kindness kicks it up a notch.
Being generous takes a higher degree of engagement than simply being pleasant. Being considerate takes more intention than being agreeable. We can be nice without much effort. Being kind causes us to dig a little deeper.
So, why go to the effort? Why not just be nice and call it a day? Being nice is good. It's very good. Keep being nice.
But, being kind inspires. It shifts mindsets.
Being kind makes you a walking incarnation of grace and love.
That, my friends, causes a "busy" woman like me to stop in the pouring rain to feel a tear roll down her cheek as she witnesses the kindness of strangers and knows this world, and the people who fill it up are mostly amazing vessels of goodness.
Kindness rocks.