#Be Kind

Years ago, I mentored a group of high school students.  We hit on many topics those Sunday mornings, some easy, and some difficult, but we always enjoyed lively conversations.  The topic one Sunday was Kind vs. Nice. Cultivating the value of being kind to others and yourself.  We discussed how to develop kindness and spot nice as you forge relationships at any age.

We compared the two:

Don’t get me wrong, nice will always trump cruel, disrespectful, and contentious. However, when given a choice, I’d like to see us follow Princess Diana’s advice to “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”

Periodically, I still receive messages from the now adults I had the privilege of mentoring for a short period. I’ve been amazed by the number of messages I get that say “Ms. Sherri, I have met a KIND man” or one recently reached out to say “After all these years I’m still working on being kind but I’m getting there!” I smile, a seed planted and producing fruit!

In a world in desperate need of kindness, what seeds have you planted?  What random acts of kindness have you completed that brought you and others joy?  Let’s do more of that!