Small acts of kindness

Life is all about how you act and treat people. All it takes is one small act of kindness or a kind word to make someone's day. Or it can work the opposite, and a rude behavior or statement can ruin a day or be remembered for a lifetime...it's all in how you make a person feel.

I remember my mom calling me a nincompoop as a kid when I accidentally stood on the hay rope tripping the hay forks too soon as we were loading hay into the barn...it hurt me emotionally and I was well aware of the work it was going to take to fix that situation. And I remember to this day her vividly saying that to me and how it felt. Very vividly! It still hurts. And yes, it is a small thing and mild in comparison to what is said today, but still it left a lasting impression. I remember telling my mom about this incident before she passed away. She did not recall it happening nor did she have any remorse!!! What??? For a softhearted little red headed farm girl it hurt deep. I was too little to help pick up or move the hay bales without a hook and even then I was pretty much useless in the situation for lack of muscle and size. But I've carried that feeling of hurt and the lesson of how words can hurt yet to this day. I think back to that incident often before I say something that could be mean or hurtful. I'm pretty sure my mom didn't mean what she said the way I took it. But as a farm kid I knew the work I'd just caused...and I made darn sure I was NEVER standing on the hay rope ever again! Several life lessons learned for that one incident and my stupidity! Innocent but dumb non-the-less.

I've been trying harder to make eye contact, smile or verbally acknowledge students this school year. Who doesn't like to hear their name-now the task is me getting their name right and not calling them by their sibling's name or the wrong name! We don't know what some of these kids deal with at home. And you certainly can not judge a book by it's cover. Kids deal with all kinds of things in their personal lives, as do adults. There is very small window of innocent childhood it seems now thanks to technology, parents and lack of parenting and a host of other factors.

Someone made my day today with a simple act of kindness. I've been up since very early with an intense headache that comes in goes as far as intensity. It got pretty bad midmorning and as I sat at my desk trying to get computer work done a coworker came into the library took one look at me and knew immediately  what I was dealing with. Yep, a mild migraine, thanks to stress, weather or some other factor. This friend then went to their office and put the following on my desk-see picture below!

Yep, a package of colored pens made me smile. Did it make my headache go away. No. But the water and caffeine coated aspirin did the trick there, or at least made my headache manageable. Thank goodness. But you know what, those silly pens made me smile. Make me happy. And I have no idea why. They were totally unexpected. But hey, it is the though that counts. 

So every time I use these pens I will think back, for a while at least, about how that one small act made me feel, something so small and simple. 

And do you know what I'm going to do, pay it forward. Before this day is out I want to make someone feel like I did by such a simple act, and I have no idea why something as simple as colored pens made my day, but they did! 

Be kind to people, you may be the only person who is, and more than likely you will be remembered for it!