Kindness Inspires Kindness!

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

-Aesop

I'm not much of a historian ... I can't remember facts to save my life. I wish I could use the excuse that my kids have sucked out all my braincells, but the truth is, I have just never been good at recalling history. 

I admit it- I had to look up Aesop. I knew he was important; I knew he was known for kindness- I just couldn't remember why!

Aesop was an ancient Greek storyteller who died in 564 BC and is known for his collection of Aesop's Fables. The man was talking about kindness before Christ was even alive. 

The Tortoise and the Hare is a story that I DO remember. It's one that was read to me as I grew up and one that was talked about throughout my school career. The Hare was not kind. The Hare underestimated the strengths of the tortoise, who was very different than he was.

Kindness is something I've been talking a lot about in my job at school. It's easy for me to preach about how important kindness is to young children. It's easy to say that kindness is what counts and that we should respect others; even if they are different. 

The fact of the matter is ... it's not always easy to be kind to those we don't understand. It's difficult to embrace the fact that others might not do things the same way we do. It's a challenge overcome the meanness that exists in this world. 

So, what do we do?

We embrace the fact that the only person we can control is our self. We choose to surround ourselves with people that fill our buckets rather then constantly dip out of them. 

I realized last that I am extremely kind and caring to almost everyone in my life ... except one of my children. It's not that I'm purposefully mean to her; I just have very little patience for her different view on life. I have very little time to deal with her spirit. I'm embarrassed to admit that I have become a squasher.

Squasher? I know this is not a real word, but it's my word. And, sadly, I admit that I often try to squash my daughter's spirit. 

While I may never come to truly know how my daughter sees life, I know that she sees it differently than I do. Her spirit for life is not confined to a box and does not fit in the parameters set for the norm.

This morning, I have a desire for a 'do-over'! You know those moments in life that you're not quite proud of your actions ... that you wish you could take back and re-do?

My philosophy is based around the fact that it's okay to mess-up. It's okay to not do it perfect. It's okay to be human!

So, tonight when I pick the kids up from school, I will keep kindness in the front of my mind. I will apologize for the crazy after-Halloween morning that we had. I will focus on the fact that when I am kind to others, most times, they will be kind back. I will check my emotions, my tone, my body language and my mean-mug looks!

Small gestures of kindness go a long way. Do what you can today and the days that follow to be kind to others. Know that kindness will not always exist and others will do the wrong thing. Even though this is true, we can still focus on being the best we can be!

Enjoy the journey you have been blessed with, love the people in your life, smile :) and remember, 'It's Okay'. 

 

Visit www.itsokaybooks.com to learn more!

 

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