Practicing Kindness

Looking back, I am not so sure that I practiced anything that could be construed as truly kind. I do remember once someone dropped their wallet while walking in front of me. I rushed to pick it up and shouted “Hey! You dropped your wallet!” The woman in front of me turned around and with relief said “Oh, my gosh…you are my angel today!” To be honest, I didn’t feel like an “angel” as I had just had a shouting match with my brother and was feeling a bit annoyed with everyone and everything. As I look back though, I realize that what I did was, in fact, kind. The problem was that doing kind things wasn't something I did everyday - it wasn't something that I practiced. That woman, though, whose wallet I returned did see kindness in my act, and received it with gratitude. 

In many cultures kindness is considered to be an essential virtue. Being kind means being polite and friendly and helping those around us. It seems that it should be easy to be kind…doesn’t it? However, as I participate in the day-to-day activities of this life, I notice that kindness isn’t as prevalent as one would think it should be, maybe it isn’t as easy to be kind as one would think.

Forgiveness, mercy, compassion are the foundation of kindness. While it seems that many people do not possess these traits, they can be learned. Administrators, teachers, staff and students can learn from one another what it looks like, and feels like to be kind. Those who live kindness everyday can, and should, be models for others, especially our young people. Being kind is an essential part of school culture and it is an essential part of the culture of Bishop Diego High School. Here at Bishop, we are blessed with many models of kindness, and we see it practiced in several wonderful ways. Bishop emphasizes the importance of daily and consistent kindness because kindness is essential in all good and healthy relationships. 

In preparation for this writing, I asked my children what they like about a certain friend, or teacher, and without pause they answered “Mommy, he is nice,” and “Mommy, she is kind.” Nobody wants to be friends with someone who is not nice or not kind. Everyone wants to be friends with those who are polite, generous and supportive. It is important for us to be kind to those around us - friends at school, teachers who give so much to educate us, the cashier at the local grocery store or the man who drives the bus. Equally though, we must be kind to those people we often take for granted - mom, dad, sister, brother. Many people are kind and polite to their neighbors and friends but are not so kind to their immediate family members. I know that for myself, I would never think of snapping at my boss, or a parent or student, but I snap at my spouse, or son or daughter. In reality then, I think that I must not really be that kind for how can I be kind to some, but not to all? If I am not kind to those closest to me, am I really kind at all? We are, none of us, perfect, but we are still loved and encouraged by a perfect God. God’s love rests in the beating of our hearts. God’s love is perfect. Our challenge then is to remember kindness, compassion, mercy, understanding, and love when standing with, standing by, or standing up for those we don’t know well, and those we know really well. Being kind to all we come into contact with, and expecting nothing in return brings inner peace and joy - It makes life more bearable.

Practicing kindness then is not as difficult as we sometimes make it. Showering kindness on those around us should be our ultimate goal each and every day. So, I challenge you…go out and pick-up the trash  that someone else dropped. Help an elderly person onto the bus, or with their groceries. Stop and go out of your way to comfort or guide someone in need of tenderness. You never know, it might be you that is the angel today. It might be you who is a Godsend.