Kindness Matters

One day last week a woman came up to me in the midst of my busyness at work. She is a semi-regular customer, so I recognized her. I stopped what I was doing, thinking she wanted to let me know about a problem with the store or her drink. As a shift supervisor, I am used to people coming to me with their complaints. I was pleasantly surprised when, instead of complaining, she gave me the sweetest and most sincere compliment. She told me the last time she had been in (I don't remember when this was--maybe 2-4 weeks ago), she had seen me interact with a person who seemed to be in "an altered state," as she put it. She said she was awestruck by the interaction because she had observed that I had been so kind and patient. She said she could tell my kindness was coming from a very genuine place rather than just being part of my customer service focused job. She said she had wanted to say something to me on that day but I had gotten off work before she was able to do so. But she had been thinking about that interaction she observed--which I actually have no memory of--all this time and didn't want to let another opportunity go by to let me know how much she appreciated the kindness I had shown. I was so touched that she had noticed and taken the time to say something to me, and when I went back to my busyness, I felt buoyed and a bit more purposeful. 

I do not tell this story to toot my own horn but because I was so gobsmacked by the power of kindness. I do strive to be a kind person, and I sincerely hope the person I was originally interacting with felt that kindness and that it made a difference in their life. But what I know for sure is that that kindness did make a difference to an outside observer. That kindness was pondered and appreciated by someone who wasn't even the direct recipient. And then she did me the honor of showing me a kindness as well by taking the time to share her gratitude with me. Kindness is contagious, and kindness matters. So, if you have the chance, just be kind today. It will cost you nothing, but I'm fully convinced it will make the world a better place.