To Be Kinder

Kindness is not just a singular act. 

It is patience.  It is compassion.  It is an active choice. Every moment.  Every day.

To be considered "kind" you must be sweet more often than your are not, but this is not the goal. Kindness is not easy, and it should not be limited to a Random Act of Kindness on a random day for you to check off and say "Hey, I am a pretty good person!"

No.  Kindness lives in the heart.  You must actively choose to respond with a gentle spirit, a kind word, and a smile.  You must actively choose to "turn the other cheek" when someone has wronged you.  You must actively choose to smile at the woman who scowls at you in Walmart as she cuts you off and rams you with her cart.  You must actively choose to not flip off the driver that cut in front of you.  You must actively choose to just be nice.

And Let's Be Honest...

Kindness is just plan hard.  

I don't always want to be kind.  There are times I want to be angry.  I want to call that women in Walmart a mean name, just so she can hear it and know my displeasure.  I want to tailgate the vehicle that cut me off.  I want to ignore the man on the side of the road with a sign.  And then rationalize the unkind act by thinking, "Oh... it is just a scam."

There are days where it's just to impossible to be kind because, well, I am human.  Perfect kindness is just not in me.  Thankfully, it is in God.  Humans have the ability to be kind, God has the ability to be kind even when we do not.

So in the end, Mother Teresa had it right:

c Kathryn Parton

And this is my Resolution.  To attempt to always be kind, even when I do not want to be.  To know that there will be times where I will fail, and that's okay, but I should always strive for better.

Here's My Challenge to You:

Can you try to be kind?  Even if you do not believe in God, even if our views on God are radically different. 

Just be kind to one another.  Love on one another.  The world would be a much better place if people just worked to achieve kindness in their everyday lives.

Simply Happy, Incredibly Blessed