I recently saw a post on Facebook that said, “Be kind with reckless abandon.” It was in reference to someone helping to pay for a strangers groceries and the cashier saying that they probably got scammed. The person who paid said something to the effect of it not mattering because even if they did their help came from a good place, and worst case they are out a few bucks and best case they helped a family have dinner tonight.

I really appreciated the sentiment of being kind with reckless abandon. There are so many people spewing hate and vitriol in the world today that I think we could all do with a little more kindness in our domains.

I’ve said it before; the anonymity of the internet in general makes it easy to forget that there are real people out there with real feelings, fighting real battles and struggling daily. There is no need to add to that by being callous and mean to those you somehow feel are lesser than you.

You never really know for sure the impact your words and actions can have on people. You never know when that nerve you choose to needle may be the nerve that breaks someone down.

You also never know when your nice actions, that support someone and raise him or her up, may be the action that saves their life.

I’ve never been a fan of the ‘sticks and stones’ adage. As a matter of fact, I think that it’s pretty much bull– well you know what…

Words hurt. And I’m sorry that I’m about to quote Cher, but, “words are like weapons, they wound sometimes.” Words damage. And words leave a lasting impression.

So maybe it’s time to start thinking of ways we can be kinder to those around us.

Helping a stranger with groceries is fantastic, but we could certainly do with a lot more kindness on the most base level.

Maybe you choose to ignore a political opinion that is different than yours instead of trying to berate that person into thinking your way. [Side note: that really doesn’t work anyway.]

Or maybe you choose to let someone in front of you at the store.

Or, compliment the first three people you talk to today.

Or, send a positive text message to five different people right now.

Or, instead of complaining about un-returned carts, just simply return them.

Or, while you’re out, compliment a parent on how well-behaved their child is.

Or, don’t write the angry internet comment you’re thinking of writing.

Or, when everyone around you is gossiping about someone, be the one to butt in with something nice. Or, at the very least, tell them to stop
talking trash about people.

There are a lot of ways to just be nice to the people around you. And you’ll be surprised at how much better it makes you feel. If you feel better, it’s easier to be nicer and a super awesome cycle of niceness follows.

And you know what? Maybe while you are out doing nice things, not everyone will appreciate it. Maybe someone will try and discourage you because there isn’t a payout. But do it anyway. Be Kind. With RECKLESS ABANDON. Because at the end of the day, what do you have to lose?

And you know what else? I’m not that sorry about quoting Cher. ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ is as fire now as it was in 1989 and you’ll never convince me otherwise.