Kindness.

At work we recently had a training about efficiency.  Every six weeks or so all 100 of us are expected to attend trainings aptly named, “University.”  Some are pretty boring – word to the wise, don’t ever miss the one on sexual harassment, or else you’ll have to take the online version as a makeup! – and some can actually be pretty life changing.  I’m not sure I’d put this one squarely in the ‘life changing’ category, but there was something about it that has stuck with me.

At the beginning of the training the facilitator asked, “Who would you be if you had more time?”  We were supposed to write down a characteristic that we’d possess, or display more frequently if time was never an issue.  I immediately thought of kindness.  As I’ve been thinking more about it, I realize that kindness is really just an expression. 

For me, kindness is an expression of patience.  Many years ago I made it my New Year’s resolution to always ask sales people how they are doing, and mean it.  You’d be surprised how people light up when you ask how they are and wait for a genuine response.  Try it the next time you order coffee or buy movie tickets.  This exercise at work made me think more about that resolution.

For my husband, I think kindness is an expression of his generosity.  I admire so much about him that there is always time to pick up a stray piece of litter.  There is always time to stop and help someone who needs a hand crossing the street, or a lift from a bench.  Recently, we were on a quick run to Home Depot to pick up some plywood for a project and before I knew it he was showing this young father how to cut wood at an angle so that he could build his son a train table while I sat waiting on one of those giant rolling ladders.  He never lets a lack of time stop him from being generous, and in turn, kind.

A lot of the time, I’m so busy in my own head, checking off items from my to-do list, that I don’t even notice those around me.  This year, I want to stop letting the clock run my life and make time for kindness. 

Who would you be if you had more time?