Always Be Kind

Over the weekend I was driving home from the movies.  My granddaughter was in the car with me.  When I stopped at a stop sign I saw a young Muslim woman with small children.  I waved to her and indicated that she could cross the street safely because I saw her.  As she walked by I smiled at her and she smiled back.

As we continued our drive my granddaughter said, “That was very nice of you, Paw Paw”.  I said, “Chloe, you should always be kind when you have the opportunity”.  After a slight pause she added, “You know, Paw Paw, you never know how much it affects another person’s day when you are nice to them”.  I am so happy that Chloe sees the impact of kindness to other human beings.  Maybe having a hippie grandfather with a Buddhist heart is paying off.

We live in a society that is often hostile.  People are tired, cranky, and stressed out.  People call one another names and flip one another off.  Many people live in the world as though no one else is in it.

Sometimes, all we need is a little kindness.  Imagine a world where everyone practiced random acts of kindness and senseless beauty.  I want to walk through my life seeing the world as a beautiful place where kindness is so common that you don’t even notice it.  This is the kind of world I want my granddaughter and others to also live in every day.  If each of us practiced mindfulness as continuous acts of kindness, what a wonderful world it would be.  

When in doubt, just be nice.  I have never regretted a single act of kindness.