Our latest activity for the Thrifty Rambler Kindness Project
We’re sure most of you have been in a similar situation. You’re in line at Target and some man is barely holding it together while a cart full of runny-nosed kids are screaming bloody murder. You think to yourself, “What is wrong with him? Why did you drag your kids out here? Why don’t you leave?” Or you’re at the park and a woman is absorbed with her phone while her charges terrorize the playground. You think, “What a horrible person. Here are a bunch of future bullies. What is wrong with people?”
TRMom & Dad admit that we don’t always have a sympathetic reaction to witnessing random or heated interactions of families we don’t know. We’re sometimes too quick to judge and criticize. And we know that this isn’t productive or kind. We’re working on it.
TRMom & Dad need to remember that what we’re watching unfold is a moment in time. We have no idea what led up to it or how it will resolve.
Think about those days when you were less than your best, either publicly or privately. Would you want someone to walk away thinking that was as good as you can be? Or that your kids should be taken away from you, or that you’re violent, or mean? Of course you wouldn’t want that to be their conclusion.
So we’re trying to be more understanding. We’re working on recognizing when someone might need an encouraging word, a friendly smile, or our space in line to make a quick escape from a store. Or perhaps we simply need to stem our negative thoughts for the moment and realize that this is someone’s really bad day. And that is all that we are witnessing. The single occurrence doesn’t make someone a bad person.
We’d like to encourage you to do the same. Work this Kindness. And perhaps slowly, we’ll all become more of a supportive community.