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!

Bus Ettiquette

Before I begin, I just have to start off with a big THANK YOU shoutout to my good friend, Kylie Pond of Love Always; she graciously made me a button for my blog, featured on the sidebar to the right (and which you are welcome to post on your blog, if you feel so inclined).  Thanks, missy!  Also, thank you to all YOU fabulous readers; I am so excited by the overwhelming support and encouragement you've showed so far in this journey!  This is for you:

FYI, I get the majority of my pictures from Google Images.

On to business...

Yesterday I rode the NAU shuttle to get to a research meeting.  Now, I never ride a bus unless I'm in dire need.  As much as I enjoy being around people, I don't enjoy the smashed-with-strangers-tighter-than-sardines feeling.  Plus, I'm in my 6th month of pregnancy and have no center of balance anymore.  I was lucky enough to score a seat this time, though, so at least I had some semblance of a personal space boundary, and balance wasn't an issue.  Because I was sitting directly across from the doors, I had the opportunity to watch everyone frantically boarding the bus.


Among the mob of students trying to get on at the first stop, there was a boy on crutches; his right foot and ankle were wrapped.  Everyone was pushing past him to get on the bus before him.  He even winced in pain a couple times as his foot got hit.  I was horrified! Didn't anyone else see him?  Why weren't they letting him in??

After he finally got onto the bus, I felt so bad that I was going to offer him my seat...and then remembered the whole pregnancy thing.  I'm ashamed to admit that I stayed silent.  I watched from my comfortable(ish) seat as this poor kid struggled to find a sure-footed position that wouldn't result in him losing his stability and flying into another passenger.  Everyone else watched from their comfortable seats too, with sidelong glances, pretending they weren't actually watching.  Because then that would mean they saw a problem and didn't do anything about it.  (Not that I'm guilty or anything.)

Just before the doors closed and the bus started moving, a deep voice spoke out: "Here, man, take my seat."  The crutches kid started to protest, but then this well-built young man in gray sweats and a blue hoodie stood up; he was tall.  "No, really.  Go for it."  The guy on crutches managed a small smile and mumbled a quick "thanks" as he plopped down into the open seat. I was overjoyed to see that when the crutches kid's stop came up, he stood up from his seat--and everyone hung back to let him off first.  He looked embarrassed, but grateful.  I glanced back at the tall guy in sweats who gave up his seat, and I swear to you he looked just like this:

It was amazing to me.  Even though everyone's initial response to the situation was to look away and pretend like nothing was wrong, all it took was one person to say, "Here.  I see you're having a problem and I want to help."  Suddenly, everyone else in the vicinity was helpful too.  My faith in humanity was restored, for the time being at least.

Next time, I hope I'm the one to stand and show a little kindness, even if it means I have to give up my oh-so-comfy hard plastic seat.  How neat would it have been if I was the one to start the chain reaction of courtesy?  I would've felt so cool.  But instead, I sat on my rear and fumed about how rude everyone else was being.  I know none of you wonderful readers are as hypocritical as I am.  Right? :)

As always, thanks for stopping by, and remember to be a better person than I am!

Challenge for the Day:

Let someone walk/merge/board the bus in front of you.

Introduction

Dear Readers,

My name is Amy Hale (take a peek at my "About me" link), and I have a confession.  I've had this blog set up for over a week now, but have done everything I can think of to procrastinate actually posting.  Why?  Because I am completely intimidated by the task ahead of me: to use my writing to change a small piece of the world.  This task was given to me by my writing professor, Dr. Kerri Quinn.  She encouraged us to find a project that would stem from something we care deeply about.

I chose to write about kindness.

Simply put, there is not enough of it going around anymore, at least from my slightly cynical perspective.  I notice it most while driving.  Flagstaff is a TERRIBLE place to drive, and it boils down to inattentive drivers.  (I swear checking blind spots is a lost art.)  My theory is this: people have become so consumed by their own busy lives, that they are no longer aware of the people around them.  Because we are unaware, we are impolite.  The obvious fix for this would be to look outside of ourselves and just notice the people we pass by on the sidewalk, or the road, or in the store, or wherever we are.

Easier said than done.  I know; I'm guilty of being self-absorbed just as much as the next girl...which is another secret reason why I chose to create this blog.  (I guess now is a good time to explain exactly what this blog is.)  Each post is going to illustrate examples I see throughout the day of people being either extremely rude or extremely kind to others.  I hope that by doing this project, I will start to notice more of the good that people do, and I won't be so darn pessimistic about humanity!  Occasionally, I will throw in an interview I do with a member of the community, spotlighting them and reminding readers that the people we live with are actually people, who have their own lives and their own worries and strengths.  Crazy concept, right?

I hope you come back to my blog often.  Please feel free to leave comments, and if you have any questions or stories for me personally, you are always welcome to email me, Amy, at alr264[at]nau[dot]edu.

Challenge for the Day:

Give someone a hug.

*Note:
The title for my blog was inspired by a little song I learned as a young girl at my church.  Read or listen to it here...and I guarantee it'll get stuck in your head.  It's a very "sticky" song!