It’s Monday, y’all, and I’m digging deep to kick off this week on a positive note. I think we all have days and weeks that are like that, right?!? We all have struggles and challenges of some sort – stress, an illness, family issues, work problems, money problems, friendship/relationship issues, lack of self-worth, trauma, grief. We’re all carrying burdens of different kinds. Oftentimes we walk around with smiles on our face, trying to hide whatever may really be going on. Other times, our pain comes across in bad attitudes, ugly words, short tempers. We’ve all heard the expression “hurt people hurt people.” In other words, our own hurt is often expressed by hurting others even when we don’t intend to do so.
This week, I’d like to encourage you to make an extra effort to be kind to those around you – even strangers. We never know what someone else is carrying with them. We may never know the battles someone else is fighting. We might not know why someone is acting out, showing anger or hurting someone else. What we do know is that a little bit of kindness, a small display of love, can go a long way in helping to heal someone’s heart or simply turn their day around.
As we go about our days, let’s look for small ways we can lift each other up: eye contact and a smile, a cheerful good morning, wave at a neighbor, buy a stranger coffee, hold the door open for someone, send a thinking about you text or note to a friend you haven’t heard from in awhile, respond with grace when someone is short with you, meet anger with kindness. Be willing to listen when someone has something to say. Listen to what they are really saying, and read between the lines if you have to. Open yourself up to hearing each other. Let’s love our neighbors and treat others the way we want to be treated. I know that can be easier said than done sometimes, but it’s worth putting a little love and light into the world to help change someone else’s day or their outlook. It’s also worth mentioning that showing kindness to others in the midst of our own hurt, can help to change our own perspective as well. Being kind to others – loving others – is both selfless and selfish. We can change the course of our day, our week, and maybe even find some healing for ourselves, while also changing someone else’s heart, by showing love and grace to those around us. It’s a win-win, if you ask me.
Let’s head into the week with open hearts and open minds and show kindness to others, and ourselves.
Tell me: How will you show kindness to others this week?
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