Spending a couple days each week as a volunteer in Kindergarten is a wonderful way to absorb the important things in life.  This week, I saw a very tearful little girl who was missing her Dad. It took about 30 seconds for another student to offer her teddy bear, which she said was given to her when she was a baby.  Amazing how the tears stopped, and I saw a perfect picture of kindness.

For six years, I’ve had the privilege of watching five-year-old kids learn how to read, write, and most important, to be there for a friend in need. Each year, it’s bittersweet to see them all “graduate.”

Already I’m looking forward to the fall and meeting a new group of friends who will experience the wonders of what you can learn in Kindergarten.

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A posting by Human Kind Acts of Kindness offers an interesting perspective on life.

“What is my purpose in life? What if I told you that you fulfilled it when you took an extra hour to talk to that kid about his life? Or when you paid for that young couple in the restaurant? Or when you saved that dog in traffic? Or when you tied your father’s shoes for him?

Your problem is that you equate your purpose with goal-based achievement. The Universe isn’t interested in your achievements…just your heart.

When you choose to act out of kindness, compassion and love, you are already aligned with your true purpose.”

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Has anyone ever told you that you are awesome?  If not, how would it make you feel?

Leaving little positive messages, either verbal or written, can turn someone’s day around or create a lasting memory. No need to wait for a major accomplishment.  Just take time to notice.

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“A career you can make as interesting or as tedious as your mind allows” is how a friend described driving a bus. “It was a treasure trove of memories to pull out and use as a reality check.

But the ripple effect? That’s where I hoped to influence change and comfort in so many lives. It seems that front seat, just inside the door of a public transit bus, is much the same as a stool at the bar, or a hairdresser’s chair. It brings confessions, tears, love, and life in stories it would take me longer to tell than the over thirty years I spent driving people to work, to play, to dire news, and joy.

It was the desperate ones who touched me. As drivers, we were provided a list of agencies and phone numbers as an aid in these situations. The woman coming home from a cancer …
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How can we make 2023 a year of kindness?  Maybe it’s as simple as doing just one little thing. Compliment someone. Say the words “You are appreciated.” Pick up a fast food gift card to give to a homeless person.  Make a small donation to a random cause. The little things we do might be the highlight of someone’s new year.

The poem “I Have Wept In The Night” reminds us to never stop scattering kindness.

I have wept in the night

At my shortness of sight

That to others’ needs made me blind,

But I never have yet

Had a twinge of regret

For being a little too kind.

― C.R. Gibson…
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