The Season of Giving!

Can you believe it? Christmas is only three days away! Honestly, it still feels like October or November, even if Winter Break started a day or two ago (not that I’m complaining)! The weather’s cold, Christmas music is playing in every elevator, and even the toy sections at Walmart and Target are running short! Of course, this all leads to one holiday: Christmas; when we give as much as we can, and spend time with our loved ones. 

If only that were true…

Hey! It’s been a minute… Okay, that was an understatement. My last post was on Halloween day, and it’s almost Christmas; it’s been more than “a minute.” But I’m back with a new topic, and in honor of Christmas, I think it’s time I talk about what this holiday’s about: kindness. Before you complain and groan, no, this is not from the influence of a Hallmark movie or anything like that. This is just reality.

Like I said before, Christmas is three days away. Three! I mean, Santa hats and elf ears have been officially added to people’s wardrobes (that’s how you know it’s almost time). Even if it’s that time of the year, I can’t help but notice just how distant and occupied people have been (that’s ironic coming from me). But I don’t just mean that in terms of communication.

People have a thousand worries and complications every single day, whether it be for work, school, family, friends, you name it. So, we don’t always know what people are going through. Yet, that doesn’t stop us from fighting hard to have our way all the time. Don’t get me wrong, being stubborn and determined are great attributes to have, but it’s important to be empathetic to others nonetheless. Sometimes we forget that part, and trust me, every time we do forget, it almost always doesn’t end well.

In such a fast and hard-working world, everyone forgets about kindness and discards it as a “feeble feeling” or a ‘waste of time”. I know, I know. Who would go out of their way to ‘be kind’ to a stranger? 

Nope. Wrong question. It’s, “Who should be kind?”. The answer to that question is you. You, along with everyone else, has a responsibility to be kind to the people around you, especially right now. 

A lot is going on in our world, and sometimes it feels like it’s a little too much. When things get out of hand or just a lot, our first instinct is to hyperfocus and make everything stable again as fast as possible. See, that’s the problem. We get so driven and ‘locked in’ that we forget to do simple things, like ask how someone’s doing or have dinner with a loved one. 

Kindness, however, is a tricky word, though. It can mean everything, but also nothing at the same time. A small high-five or smile can make someone’s day just a little bit brighter, but it feels like you did nothing at all to make it happen. That’s the magic of it. Kindness doesn’t need money, an appointment, or qualifications. It just needs one good thought from one person for it to light up an entire city.

In a nutshell, kindness matters more than you would think. Just one word or compliment can lift someone up and give them motivation to keep going. It’s weird if you think about it. The one thing that gives fuel to the most intelligent creature on the planet other than food, shelter, and water, can be just one small act of kindness on a random Tuesday. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself! After all, it isn’t the season of giving for nothing!