The Wonder Within Us.

Lately I've had the hardest time coming to grips with the murder of my dearest friend. It isn't a quick death. It's been slow and torturous. My dear friend is fighitng the good fight but is finally slipping away. I see him growing weaker and weaker as the days pass and it rips me to my very core.

See I have been watching Kindness die since I was about seven years old. I've seen the slow progrsssion from people speaking and being cordial, to not even acknowledging each other. People then they became apethetic and could care less about another's suffering. Now finally, going out of their way to be rude or nasty. It's been a terrible thing to watch and it is contagious. Meanness has become an acceptable way of life.

There was a time I knew all my neighbors... now I only know the family next door. There was a time when I could at least strike up a decent conversation with strangers... now they either look at you like you're crazy or immediately try to get the panties. There ahve been so much progress in other areas but somewhere along the line the concept of being kind was killed. We see it at work, school, even church. People just don't feel the need to be nice any more.

So what are we supposed to do about it? Do we just shake our heads and hope for the best? Do we browbeat mean people into submission? Do we stop being kind so that we can get in with the "in crowd"? What exactly should we do to curb this terrible spirit of mean ness that ahs taken over so much of our world?

The answer is simple...... be kind.

We need to pay forward random acts of kindness. Find ways to use love and good humor to brighten someone else's day. Not just paying for an expired parking meter, but speaking to the meter reader as you walk past them. Try smiling at a child in the grocery store even if it'sd parent looks at you like a predator. Don't invade anyone's space, just smile and say hello to the parent as well. Take your friends to lunch and tell them what they mean to you. Pay for a stranger's coffee. Just strike up a benign conversation and let the beauty of who you are shine through. These aren't huge things but they can change the world.