We rarely share what's really going on with us; so we can't assume we know what's going on with someone else. We see a moment and make a judgment about the person, without knowing anything about the story behind it. Hey, we're human!
What We Don't See
The person who seems distracted may be dealing with something difficult. The person who is impatient may simply be exhausted. There is almost always more to the story than we can see.
Kindness doesn't mean agreeing with everyone or tolerating bad behaviour. But we could all do better, don't ya think?
We can disagree, set boundaries, and still treat people with respect. That's what makes kindness meaningful. And some days, as an empath who doesn't want to burden anyone with my crap, it can be challenging. Sound familiar?
What We Leave Behind
Sometimes a few careless words can sting for a long time. But a few thoughtful ones can help us for longer than the other person may even realize.
Maybe that's enough reason to choose kindness when we can.
We often don't know what's going with others, and we often don't know how we can help someone. Sometimes what we may think is a nothing can mean the world to them.
It's worth a try.
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