Have you ever noticed all the special national days that we now have? We have National Veterans Day, National Nachos Day, National Candy Day and so on. Most of the “National Days” have little meaning for me, but one that I find valuable is World Kindness Day celebrated November 13^th. Kindness means that we are gracious to everyone we meet. It means having a sympathetic attitude towards others. It means we have a willingness to do good things for others and to give pleasure to others. Hopefully, it is a deep-seated characteristic or a positive habit we developed.

Sadly, for many in our society today, kindness is a dying habit. Think of how often we hear people saying unkind words about someone they know or even about a stranger they heard of. Instead of showing kindness, people are often vilified if they think differently than we do. Instead of graciousness in our daily dealings, violent words and sometimes actions come to the forefront. Instead of a willingness to do good things for others we become insulated and would never think of reaching out to a stranger in need. What a tragedy that such a wonderful characteristic or habit is becoming lost in the lives of modern day society.

But all is not lost because around the world, and in our own neighborhoods, we know folks who practice kindness every day. Kindness is at the very core of their being. They find it impossible to not be kind to others. They are the kind of people who put out a positive energy into our world today. They are the people who shop for their elderly neighbor. They are the unique ones who leave a huge tip for a waitress who is struggling to make ends meet. They are the women and men who reach out to others in need. They are gracious to the crabby neighbor who is always complaining. The list of kind actions and words is really endless, but it is not the stuff we read about or see on TV. These unsung heroes of kindness are with us and we should be grateful for each one we know.

We need to ask ourselves if we are kind to others. Do people feel the positive energy of kindness when they are with us? Are we the ones who make others feel good because we say encouraging words, words that help them feel good about themselves? Is our presence one where kindness is our ordinary way of acting? Hopefully, none of us is among the unkind of our world. Let’s be the small change that can take place around us by being the positive energy of kindness that is alive and well wherever we are.

In what ways do you show kindness to others?

How do you counteract the negative vibes around us today?