Kindness in EVERY community

Whenever I discuss community, I usually am referring to a neighborhood, or a city, or something broad like that.   But what about our schools? Our workplaces? Our dorms? Our families?  If I'm writing to encourage kindness in the community, perhaps I should also discuss kindness in our more personal, smaller-scale communities as well.

Because I've been fighting a losing battle with an awful cold or allergies, I've been cooped up at home on and off for a couple weeks now.  My apartment is small and cramped, my patience is fleeting, and I'm extra cranky when I'm sick.  So my poor husband has had to put up with me moping and griping for...awhile.  If I were him, in all honesty, I would tell me something along the lines of "You're an adult.  Get over it.  But I love you."  Not him.  He's been waiting on me hand and foot, constantly asking if I need anything, and being an all-around gentleman.  He's definitely a trooper.  

(PS...I tend to brag on my hubby a lot!  It was bound to happen sometime on this blog.)  Meet Husband:

Hugging his mom after their dance at our wedding reception

Adorable picture, right?  One thing I have always admired about him is his respect and love he has for his mother.  This behavior has definitely carried over to how much he loves and respects me...he spoils me, even when I definitely don't deserve it.  More photo evidence of how sweet he is:

He is the king of random kisses, just-because flowers, unexpected small gifts, and strategically placed post-its with cute little notes written on them.  Sometimes I come home from school or work, expecting to have to wash dishes or clean up the living room, and it's spotless because he took care of it for me, despite his busy schedule and obligations.

 

A recent example of how loving he is happened yesterday; I was taking a bath because I was so sick and needed my tense, cramped body to relax.  Much to my bitter disappointment, my bathwater was lukewarm at best; we share a water heater with the 5 other units in my building.  About five minutes into my depressing bath, Husband comes in with a pot of water he heated up for me on the stove and poured it in.  I'm pretty sure he had homework he needed to do, but he took the few extra minutes to take care of me and make sure I was comfortable.  It was a small gesture, but I honestly almost started crying because it made a huge difference to me.  I was able to actually relax, and felt infinitely better afterwards.

I am beyond blessed to have such a wonderful, caring man in my life.  It's just in his nature to be thoughtful and kind.  He makes our little home and family community a warm and happy place, and I look forward to being home with him every night.  Even our rough days together are cake compared to what they could be if he were any different.

 

Can you imagine how much more pleasant everyone's life would be if we all took the time in our small-scale communities to be more caring?  Families would get along better, there would be less roommate drama, and we wouldn't hate going to work everyday (if that's an issue you have).  Sometime the people around us are rude and snippy because they are simply stressed.  What difference can we make in their lives to alleviate their troubles?  What can we do to let them know we care for them and want them to be happy?  Come up with an idea, try it out, and see what happens.  Feel free to let me know how it goes!  I'd love to hear from you.

Challenge for the Day:

Choose a person in one of your smaller-scale communities; make their day a little brighter!