If You Can Be Anything, Be Kind

(Be prepared; this post is going to contain a LOT of quotes.)

It was this image that prompted me to write this blog post.  What better place than to start then?

How many of us have had bad days?  I'm just going to automatically assume every single one of you raised your hands.  If you didn't, FOR GOODNESS SAKES SHARE YOUR SECRET.  *cough*  But please, remember one of these bad days that you have undergone.  Maybe you were overtired, maybe you got a bad grade, maybe someone was unjustifiably rude with you, or maybe you're just having a hard time being happy.  For whatever reason, you feel like the grumpiest person in the world, and it's making you absolutely miserable because no one likes to be grumpy.  But how many of those bad days have been turned around by someone saying a kind word?  Like someone complimenting you on how you did your hair that day?  Or how bright your smile is?  Or maybe how you're such a good friend and he/she is so grateful to you?  Just some random kind comment, and it somehow possesses the power to turn your day around entirely.  It's almost like magic.  And guess what?  This is a magic that we all possess; we are all 100% capable of being kind.  

(I did warn you about the quotes.)

Just like whoever passed on a kind word to you most likely didn't know you were having a bad day, you can't immediately tell just who is having a horrible day.  Thus, we should be kind to everyone, for everyone might possibly be having an awful day.  We might not actually know whether we make a difference in someone's life, but isn't it a nice feeling knowing that we have the potential to brighten someone's day?  Imagine two different examples.  Example #1:  Someone says something harsh to you, and it just makes your day crumble around you.  While at the grocery store that night, your cashier fumbles a bit, and you snap at him, muttering that the grocery store should hire more efficient workers.  This causes his previously good mood to erode; he now grumpily serves everyone in line after you.  Example #2:  Someone says something harsh to you, but you consciously decide to brush it off and smile, not allowing to ruin your day.  While at the grocery store that night, your cashier fumbles a bit, and you smile and joke about how you'd make such an awful cashier since you're so clumsy.  This makes him smile at you, appreciating your patience and sense of humor.  He then serves the rest of the customers with a smile on his face!

Being kind doesn't take much effort.  While you're walking down the street, smile at those whom you pass!  A heartwarming grin can make such a change in someone's day.  Too often we avoid eye contact in the street, or we stare down at the cell phone in our hands.  Put the cell phone away and make a point at smiling at everyone, especially those who look as if they might benefit from a cheerful grin.

Sometimes, too, we have a friend who may be having a bad day, and unfortunately, he/she use us as his/her personal vent machine.  Now, if he/she just ranted to us about how bad his/her day was, that would be one thing.  But instead, he/she might act unreasonably harsh, criticizing what you say, how you feel, ultimately making you feel quite lousy.  It's happened to me before, and it can really, really hurt.  However, instead of allowing him/her to ruin your day, remind yourself that he/she is just taking out his/her hurt feelings on you, and most likely don't actually mean his/her comments.  Make a conscious effort to smile and respond to his/her criticism kindly.  You'll discover that the kinder you are to him/her, the easier it is to remain in a good mood!

Allow me to be a nerd for just one minute, please.  (HAHA, we all know I'm a nerd all the time.)  To quote the amazing show Doctor who, Amy Pond once says, "You know when sometimes you meet someone so beautiful and then you actually talk to them and five minutes later they're as dull as a brick? Then there's other people, when you meet them you think, 'Not bad. They're okay.' And then you get to know them and... and their face just sort of becomes them. Like their personality's written all over it. And they just turn into something so beautiful."  I feel like this is such an amazing thing.  We are not whom we appear to be on the outside.  Whether or not we feel beautiful doesn't truly matter.  Do we act beautifully?  Do we act with kindness, with love, with a heart willing to place other's needs before our own?  It is this that makes us beautiful, not a small waistline or white teeth or perfectly styled hair.  

   

After this slightly rambling post, I will leave you with this image (which coincidentally matches my blog title).  I hope that this post encourages you to try and be kind and make a difference in at least one person's life every day!  Even if it's a little text that says you were thinking of someone or a phone call to a friend you haven't heard from recently to the forgiveness of an old grudge or perhaps reaching out to a perfect stranger who looks like they might need a friend, make an effort to be kind.  You never know who may need it.