Kindness

We live in a society where kindness from strangers is touch and go. Fellow shoppers will walk out of a door and let it slam in your face...or a lady with stroller and young one in tow will struggle to hold it open for you.

A driver will slow down to allow you to cross the road safely...or honk the horn angrily because you've taken 10 seconds longer than you should.

Acts of kindness in whatever category are what keeps us human. It's so easy in our busy world to forget that it's less important how many tasks you complete in your day than how many of them benefited your fellow man.

Years ago we opened our school doors to the handicapped and our "normal" children were given first hand knowledge that some of us need a little help from the stronger, faster ones. It was a life lesson that was well worth learning.

Many of the immigrants to Canada are from cultures where seniors are treasured and respected. I've mentioned before how my young Chinese neighbor ladies are frequent visitors and who have become good friends. I'm always in awe of the kindnesses they bestow upon me.

Just showing a passing kindness to the strangers you come in contact with every day can make a world of difference in their lives. It can make our society a nicer one to live in. And the moment you took to care for the people you share this earth with will make you a better person.

We're fortunate to live in Canada where the fears of bombings and wars are far away and immigrants come here because they want the safety they find. We're not the garden of Eden but we have the space and the opportunity to include all nationalities who come here in peace. One of the pleasures of being a "melting pot" country is that we can learn to understand rather than fear each other.

So show a little kindness to someone today and the world will be a better place. Isn't that easy?