Today I'm celebrating World Kindness Day 2024;
what kind acts did you give, receive, or witness?
For me, the day started out with this lovely text exchange with Avery,
a third grader in this picture who is now a senior in high school.
Isn't this a beautiful way to start the day?
It gave me pause,
made me think,
brought a smile,
and warmed my heart,
all at the same time.
It prompted me reflect about impact, which resulted in this Facebook post:
I captured one of my favorite kindness stories in Madison, WI, a few years back, when I traveled there to speak at the Counselors' Conference about inspiring empathy, compassion and kindness.
I woke up to find my sister's husband, Rick, bundled up outside, shoveling the drive, presumably so that he could get to work. I snapped this shot before I knew the rest of the story. When he got back in to grab his backpack, I reminded him that my rental was parked behind them as I headed toward the door to go move the car.
That's when he said, "I take the bus to work."
Sacrificial kindness feels so next level, and yet, when kindness is a lifestyle, we work with intention to find ways to warm our world, each and every day.
Rick came back to the house 15 minutes later that morning, because he'd missed the bus. "It's ok," he told me. "I'll just catch the next one."
Kindness truly is LOVE with
It was so impactful, that Rick had gotten up early and was shoveling the drive out of empathy, compassion, and kindness for me.
He ended up missing the bus.
For me. To help me.
And his kindness drives me to help others.
Then, I jumped on a webinar to hear CharacterStrong's co-founder, Houston Kraft, talk about kindness, not the fluffy, soft stuff that's free and confetti-like, but the deep, meaningful kind of kindness.
My brother-in-law Rick's kind of kindness.
What a gift, to sit with Houston for an hour and soak in his wisdom around being a kindness catalyst. So many things that he said resonated, but the one that perfectly connects me back to Avery is this:
Time does not equal impact.
It took me just seconds to welcome Avery to school and celebrate a good report from her dentist appointment (pictured above) that day at school. It took me very little effort to strum her into greatness every day. It felt like a very small investment to reassure her when she felt shy, provide a safe space when she felt scared, cheer her up when she felt sad, and encourage her when she felt shaky. But the impact? Well, it has lasted almost a decade and I have a feeling that it will continue for years to come because she has taken our village's message, our model, and made it her own.
We've hired Avery to care for our cat when we are away;
this last weekend, I set out a coloring station for her.
As she thumbed through the Coloring Book, she found the perfect page:
You see, that uncertain and often shy student from years ago is now auditioning for the HS's musical, Mary Poppins; oh how she craves the chance to play the ethereal role of Mary.
And whether she's cast as the lead or not, Avery is already an authentic Pied Piper for kindness, a young lady with a sweet song in her heart, who works to bring acceptance, unity, peace, grace, and love to our world, not only today, but through every season, at every venue, all year long.
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