kinder than necessary

Cultivate a loving heart, and practice being kinder than necessary.  In the course of your day, you will inevitably encounter difficult people, but have patience and practice kindness. You won’t regret it.  In my experience, the most trying individuals are fighting battles of their own, and they are the most deserving of compassion.

I tell myself that the people who are hardest to love need it the most.  My attitude may suggest blind optimism, but I’ve pondered the subject for years, and I truly believe it’s accurate.  When people are hard to love, it’s likely that they don’t consider the impact of their actions on others.  But how do people cultivate a sense of empathy?  How do they develop an understanding for difference?

I believe it begins with exposure to kindness.  Be kind to the people that least deserve it, and I promise that they will ponder your behavior.  They will consider how your actions deviate from their own, and, perhaps, how your behavior made their day better. Maybe that thinking will compel them to be kinder to the people in their lives.  Just maybe, it will compel them to handle strangers with grace.

You won’t regret acts of kindness.  You will never look back on your days and think that you were too considerate, or that you should have treated people more harshly.  You might, however, regret the moments you failed to show someone compassion.

The good news, dear reader, is that while not all of us can cure cancer or win a beauty pageant, we can all cultivate a kind heart.   We can all better the lives of others by being kinder than necessary.

To spread the message, I wrote “Be Kind” with colored tape in various places throughout the city:

After I did my random act of happiness, I spent the afternoon touring vineyards with Chrissy and Lauren.  You might remember Chrissy as the girl that I randomly asked to hang out with me.  That quirky decision definitely paid off:

Once again, thank you to Laura at Apricot Lane in St. Cloud for styling this post.  I keep getting  compliments for my clothes, and I almost feel guilty about it.  It was all you, Laura.