Try More Kindness

I wrote most of this post this time last year. Since then, politics has become even more divisive. We have suffered three major hurricanes, multiple mass shootings and an outpouring of victims finding their voices to name abusers. The world feels stressful and ugly. My antidote then and now: try kindness.

Before you snap at the cashier at the fast-food restaurant for not getting your change and coffee fast enough, think about how hard it must be to stand on your feet all day and deal pleasantly with customers for $7.15 an hour.

Before you say something snarky or critical for laughs, remember you are not a character in a sit-com.

Before you share that social media rant that puts down or insults people with different opinions, think about whether reading what you are posting from a friend with a different outlook would change your mind. We can discuss and disagree without inflammatory language.

Before you complain about the weather, the boss, the traffic, the radio drive time play list, etc., think about how complaining may permanently rewire your brain to be more negative.

Try something new today.

Try kindness.

Give someone an unexpected compliment. Smile at the mom with the screaming toddler in the checkout line. Be patient with the receptionist who transferred you to the wrong extension.

Breathe.

Try more kindness.