Day 29-Kindness

A few days ago I attended parent teacher conferences.  I’m always interested to hear how the girls act when I’m not there.  What notes of their personality shine through.

I keep thinking about what Lucy’s teacher said.  She discussed how sometimes, she will pair off Lucy with some kids that may be a bit challenging for other students to deal with because “Lucy is patient and kind.”  That would have been embarrassing to cry at a conference, right?  Well, I didn’t.  So don’t judge.

My heart is still bursting with pride, though.

Kindness.  I love that word.  It implies caring and intention.

And it is a choice.

Every day I have moments where I want to be quick witted and mean (and sadly, sometimes I am), but every day I remind myself, “What can I do here that would be kind?”  It’s sad to me that sometimes the harsh response is the first one that comes to my mind, or the first response that I put into action.

I think about Lucy at school.  There’s often pressure to go with the rest of the kids when responding to a situation.  Lucy could make a choice to be cruel to kids who are different or simply distance herself from them.  Instead, she makes a choice to be kind.

What does kindness look like to me?  A smile, a caring word.  Taking the time to listen to someone’s story. 

Sometimes kindness is silence.  Not responding with a harsh comment or making a judgment on someone.  Sometimes kindness is tucking in a whiny, overtired child without giving a lecture.  Sometimes kindness is taking some quiet time for myself before the kids, who are just being kids, lose all their privileges for the day. 

Kindness is about those choices that I make.  I don’t always choose kindness.  I can ask for grace.  The grace to choose kindness in the next moment.

 

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