There is one tool that everyone possesses in this life. It's not hard to use and it can do wonders. You don't need special equipment, you don't need any accessories. It's all in your heart, and it's your choice to decide whether or not to use it. This tool is kindness. We walk around every day oblivious to what other people are feeling. We think we don't have control over how others feel or how they see themselves, but we do. Kindness can go a long way. A simple "hi" or a smile can make somebody's day 10 times better.
As my dad says, "Life is full of choices." Including the choice to be kind to others. It's not difficult, and it doesn't require work. We all have that choice of being rude to the waitress that gets our order incorrect, or being able to understand that everyone makes mistakes. The best way to treat a problem like that is with kindness. Surely, the waitress didn't intentionally get your order wrong. It's pointless to be unkind to someone for a silly mistake. It's pointless to be unkind to someone in general. It doesn't do anything for anyone except hurt feelings.
We all have those days when something goes wrong in the morning, like spilling your coffee, and you know the rest of the day isn't going to go well. The last thing you want to do is "go out of your way" to be nice to others. But it's not going out of your way. It's so simple to make someone feel like they are worth something. It doesn't benefit us at all to be unkind to someone. Let them be who they are, let them be happy.
We've all heard of the Golden Rule, "treat others the way you want to be treated." We all just thought it was a silly Middle School saying that our teachers taught us. Well, it's not. It applies to everyone all of the time. None of us want to have someone be mean to us. We should treat others with the same amount of kindness that we want in return. Even if someone is rude. We don't have to be rude back. Don't fight fire with fire. Maybe they're having a bad day, week, or even month. We don't know their story. The best we can do to help them is speak kind words to them. We don't have to understand or even know what they are going through.
Remember how you feel when you are having a bad day and someone less-than nice comes along just to make it worse. Take that experience and make something out of it. Let it inspire you to be kind to others. Let it help you gain understanding of how they feel. Everyone has bad days every once in a while. We can all do something to help. It's simple and free. Please remember these words the next time you are tempted to say something you may regret later.
When you see someone who looks down, give them a simple compliment or just a "hello." It's so much easier to brighten someone's day than you think. Kindness is such a strong power. So, go about your daily business and have some fun, but while you're at it, be kind to people.
