drwex | Aug. 2nd, 2018

Everybody you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something. Know this. Respect this. And be extra kind. Take time to really listen. Take time to learn something new. Take time to say thank you, today.

What can you easily do to be a little kinder than usual today? And, who was the last person who was unexpectedly kind to you? Let this sink in, and carry on accordingly.

(Before starting, a big thank-you to the people who've engaged with me on these things. Some very interesting comments and discussions and I appreciate it more than I probably express.)

Be extra kind. Whoof. You'd think that would be easy but it seems in such short supply these days. I can't say I'm doing any better than I ever did at it. I've spent a few years working on not yelling at people, particularly my kids. I... it's a work in progress. I'm not sure what I could do to be kinder

Same with real active listening. I know it's a thing I should do and I've read up on the proper techniques and sometimes I even remember them. Then there's the other half of the time when I get engaged and forget all those things I'm supposed to be doing. More work in progress, I guess.

Probably the last person who was unexpectedly kind to me was one of my coworkers. I don't get to interact much with strangers (the rare weekend event aside) and I got a couple nice compliments from people I work with lately.