There was a spell of a few weeks last spring when I felt a theme in random sightings—Kindness. First, I viewed the animated film based on the charming book by Charlie Mackesy which I loved, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. That book gently presents profound ideas, beginning with the mole asking the boy, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” After thinking a moment, the boy replies, not firefighter or doctor, but “Kind.” Ahhh 

The children at a preschool/daycare near my home are protected by a chain link fence. They have used those largish, red plastic cups pushed through the holes in the fence to spell out words, like Create Kindness…Each time I drive by I appreciate their message to the neighborhood and hope that they are treated that way each day and develop empathy and kindness that will last a lifetime.

Walking through Blair Arcade in St. Paul, I saw a huge stuffed bear in the window of an office. It was wearing a t-shirt that said, as close as I can recall, “In a world where you can be anything, choose to be kind.”

The confluence felt strong then, and once the idea had formed in my mind, I began to see the word in many places-on the wall of a school promoting a kindness club, in the business section of the newspaper touting the benefits of being kind to one’s coworkers, in asks for charitable donations. One sighting mentioned kindness muscles, reminding us that even our ability to be kind can become stronger with repetition. Kindness was popping up everywhere. Good. It belongs everywhere.

But what is kindness? It is not always easy to pin down in part because kindness may be context dependent or recipient dependent. Kind actions may be large or small. Everything from thanking the bus driver on your way to work to volunteering to dig out strangers after a hurricane or snowstorm can be an act of kindness, but kind acts are unified by being based in seeing and valuing the others around us, not just ourselves. We cannot all rebuild a town, but we can all listen kindly to a troubled friend; there
are ways we can all be kind. Perhaps you’ve heard the radio feature about unsung heroes, in which listeners report on the kindness of strangers they were never able to properly thank and the positive impact that act of kindness made on their lives. Unexpected kindness can be particularly appreciated or disarming.

Where have you spotted kindness in deed or word lately? Did it surprise you? Or maybe it was by you. Thank you. Kindness can begin at home. “‘We often wait for kindness…but being kind to yourself can start now,’ said the mole.” Being kind to yourself can strengthen you and help you to be kind to others.

Kindness doesn’t make you a wimp or a pushover, either. One can be both kind and strong.

“Nothing beats kindness,’ said the horse. ‘It sits quietly beyond all things.’” Imagine if we all built our choices and actions around kindness. What a different world we could have.

May the coming year be filled with kindness and hope.