We've all heard it--how "one simple act of kindness" can change someone's life no matter how big or how small. It's one of those things that you don't understand until you experience it from the receiving end. And sadly, it's easy to forget if it's not something you intentionally focus on.

For me, those moments of receiving kindness is when I realize how truly beautiful people can be. It reminds me of how many times I retreat to being lazy and self-fish because I am "tired" and "have had a long week" and don't want to extend that extra hand of kindness. That extra hand of kindness reminds me of how the world should be. As cheesy as it sounds, it provides the hope and the reassurance that we're all secretly looking for in our relationships.

For me, it's the small things that change my entire perspective. As I'm growing up, I'm becoming more aware of how important it is to be intentional with the duties and people in my life. Being intentional about loving others is critical to maintaining a meaningful life.

I've tried to do life on my own before. It just doesn't work. I wasn't happy because I didn't let myself or the people in my life see who I was really was. I boxed myself in and wouldn't let anything out. It's still something that I struggle with--letting myself depend on people to a certain extent. It actually terrifies me--allowing others to have that kind of hold over me along with that wavering feeling that something is always going to change.

I think I've always struggled with letting people in because I used to question kindness. I was entirely skeptical of why people would want to extend kindness to me because I'd been burned a couple of times before. It was one of my greatest struggles, and to be completely honest it's something that I still struggle with.

At some point in the last year, I decided to stop fighting it. I got so tired of refusing the love that people were willing to give that I finally gave into being willing to try to accept it. That ended up being the best decision I've ever made.

Since then, I've come across relationships where love is given and received in a manner where nothing is to be questioned. It's as simple as that. I am also able to accept the miscellaneous courtesies from others that don't need to make sense.

Whether you choose to accept it or not, kindness is an amazing game changer. Please don't push kindness away because it will provide you with a warmth, safety, and security you would never believe to be real. Just let yourself give into it and see where life will take you.