Be Kind. Pass It On.

Today I intended to write about the terrorist attacks on the United States that occurred on this date 21 years ago.

I have written about these attacks and my experiences as a federal government employee at that time, several times previously. So now I want to write about something different, something more hopeful.

I have been away for nearly three weeks, and I needed to go grocery shopping. My refrigerator was empty. So I went to the store early this morning, did my shopping and was standing in line waiting to check out. Another woman brought her cart and got in line just behind me. She appeared to be considerably older than I am, and she had only a few items in her cart. So I let her go ahead of me. We started chatting, and she told me she had her blind and deaf dog in her car. I wasn’t too worried about that, because the temperature was only 68°. I don't like the idea of leaving a dog alone in a vehicle, but at least the temperature wasn't a danger. After she finished paying for her groceries, and I was putting mine on the conveyor belt, she asked twice whether I needed help getting my groceries into my car. I thanked her for her offer, but told her I could handle the groceries myself.

This brief exchange of pleasantries reminded me that acts of kindness can create a tidal wave of kindness if the recipients will pass on the kind acts that happened to them. This is exactly what happened in the grocery store this morning.

On one of my flights yesterday, a flight attendant asked passengers who did not have a tight connection to their next flight to remain seated so those who did could get off the plane more quickly. Many people, including me, remained seated so others could rush to their next flights. I had been in that position before, when I had just minutes to make my flight, and I appreciated being allowed to exit the aircraft more quickly. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who remained in their seats. My seat mate thanked me, as did another woman who had just minutes to make her flight. She made a point of thanking several people who remained seated. 

I remember that after the attacks of 9/11, people came together, not just in America, but around the world. Even countries with which the US has often been at odds expressed their solidarity with the American people and their suffering. Citizens of other countries lined up outside American embassies to sign books of condolence. The queen of England, the late Queen Elizabeth II, broke a 600-year-old tradition when she asked that the ceremonial music normally played during the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace be changed to the national anthem of the US.

The world is so full of hatred and evil these days, so making a small act of kindness, with no expectation of anything in return, can have an immense effect. I have three T-shirts that say 'Be Kind to Everyone.' I think this message is one we should all take to heart.

Maybe, just maybe, if we make a real effort to be kind to everyone, we can make this sad world just a little bit nicer.