Everyday Magic

Day 304

“Mom, Mom!  I did a random act of kindness today,” my 6-year-old says.  We’re sharing about our day and I’ve told him how I’ve spent the afternoon with Kasey. 

“What did you do?” I ask genuinely interested.  I love to hear a kid’s perspective on what kindness looks like. 

“Ben?  You know Ben?”  he asks, waiting for my reply before he continues. 

“Yes, I know Ben.”

“Well, he didn’t have an eraser and he needed to erase something so I erased it for him.  Because I had one on my pencil.” 

“That was really nice.  How did it make your friend feel?” 

“He didn’t even notice,” A. says.  “He went on doing his work and acted like it erased itself by magic.” 

He’s not too far off, I think.  Random acts of kindness are like little bits of magic.   

Happy World Kindness Day!

Day 303

Happy World Kindness Day!  What?  Didn’t have it marked on your calendar?

Started in Tokyo in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, the holiday is now observed each November 13 in Japan, Canada, Australia, Nigeria, England, Italy, Singapore, India and the United Arab Emirates.  The United States doesn’t recognize the holiday.  Yet.

This small fact didn’t stop my new friend Kasey and I from celebrating.  

A senior at Starfire she’s working on a yearlong project to spread kindness to her community.  It’s a team effort that brings together friends and family to make a lasting impact and build connections.  Stay tuned.  You’re going to hear a lot of great things from this woman.  

Kasey, her advisor Meghan, Starfire student Michele and I head to Kroger to start spreading the kindness.  Armed with nothing more than 80 slips of orange construction paper with quotes about kindness, we hope for the best.

“This is creepy!” Michele says and hides her face in her hands, embarrassed.  She’s not as enthusiastic as the three of us in our goal. 

“Creepy would be if we were in their car,” I laugh.  “But we’re just slipping them under the windshields.” 

“No!”  Meghan cheers, an unabashed kindness warrior.  “This isn’t creepy!  We’re spreading kindness!”  A few shoppers make a wide arc, unsure of four women walking the parking lot holding a personal pep rally. 

Some people turn their gaze away, jump in their car and start the engine, shake us off with a curt ‘not now’ or ‘too busy.’  The assumption is we are selling something or want something from them. 

I want to tell them the only thing we’re soliciting is kindness.  And it’s free.

A woman sits in her car checking her phone messages when Kasey walks up and taps on her window.  “Happy World Kindness Day!” I happily announce as the woman looks at us in confusion. 

She takes the card and turns it over to read.  No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.  Her face breaks out in a smile.  She’s completely taken off guard. 

“Thank you,” she says.  “Thank you.”  She tucks it into her purse and smiles her way out of her parking spot. 

Continuing up our row, we spy two senior center buses parked curbside.  Each waits for its passengers to exit the grocery. 

“That would be fun,” I say, pointing to the buses.  Kasey’s at the bus before Meghan, Michele and I have a chance to chase her.  We board the bus, explain the holiday and wait.  Each senior’s face transforms as Kasey hands him a card. 

“Still embarrassed?” I ask Michele.  She hides her face and laughs. 

One must be brave to be kind, I think.  And be OK with people thinking you’re a little nuts.  

Is it over yet?

Day 302

A friend recently sent an email asking if I planned to vote for Obama or Romney.  

The question surprised me since I make a very conscious effort to not talk about politics, a strange statement from someone who used to earn a living as a political speechwriter. 

She’d sent me an editorial she’d written, articulate and smart, on a side of an issue where I firmly stand and asked for my help distributing it through social media.  I politely declined. 

As strongly as I feel about a candidate or issue, I feel equally strong about respecting someone else’s right to disagree.  While working in politics, I saw too much intentional meanness on both sides. 

Living in the swing state of Ohio, I’ve been inundated with political television ads, telephone calls and direct mail over the last several weeks.  Each hoping to change my opinion with fancy talking points and snazzy editing. 

This American Life on NPR aired a story on how friends and family stopped speaking because they disagreed politically.  One brother-in-law refused to let his brother-in-law eat anything from his BBQ when he learned he voted differently than he did.  “No brisket, no rib tips, nothing,” he bragged to the reporter as if his withholding meat proved his rightness further. 

News outlets report stories daily on the Facebook diatribes and the loss of friends.  When will it end?  How does it help us as a country?    

In the end, there are no winners or losers.  We’re all in this together.  By respecting opposing viewpoints and agreeing to disagree (in a civilized way), I think we can move forward.  Together.  Regardless of whose name you check on Election Day.    

That’s real progress.  That’s true kindness.