While enjoying the boardwalk over a manmade lake where I was working recently, I closed my eyes, stood in the middle of the boardwalk, inhaled the fragrant air, felt the sunshine on my face, and almost had a head-on collision with a runner who didn’t expect me to stop on the boardwalk with eyes closed. She ran by and I felt like a fool.
As I continued walking, I ran into her again (it was one big loop) and I did a nonverbal gesture of apologies, at which she said something like “Don’t even think about it, nothing to apologize for, have a great day” as she kept on running. Keep in mind I almost ran into her, and she could have handled the situation with a lot less emotional intelligence, but she chose to be kind.
And ironically the particular class I was teaching at the time had an angry young man who was labeling everyone in his office negatively, and explaining why they were all difficult for him to work with. I’m sure they felt the same about him.
We can choose to label and see the worst in others, or we can wear a Kindness Label, deciding whoever almost runs into us, is abrupt, self-absorbed, or difficult, will not impact how we choose to behave. Instead, we’ll impact them by showing tolerance and kindness. The collective results at your work, your family reunion, your meeting or anywhere else can be incredible.
Kindness costs nothing, is contagious and helps everyone feel better regardless of the circumstances.
