I’m about to sound like a crazed Hippie.

Don’t care.

I try to be kind to every stranger I meet and also with those in my life I deal with regularly.  Family, friends, etc..  Admittedly, it’s sometimes a difficult thing to accomplish.

Some people won’t accept kindness.  They’re just not built for it.  Some people will accept it and then screw you over anyway.

There’s an old saying that no good deed goes unpunished.  And unfortunately that can be very true at times.

But not always.

Because of various events and circumstances recently, I had become very cynical over the past coupla years.

I don’t like being that person.

If your kindness to someone else can change one life for the better, isn’t that worth effort?

I think it is.

Now, I’m not saying you should let other people take advantage of you.  And some will try.  They’re out there, it will happen.  There are terrible people in the world.  Trust me.  And when it happens, it totally sucks.

And when that happens they have to go bye bye from your life.  Sooner rather than later.  You certainly have to stand up for yourself in those sorts of situations.  But it’s good to keep an open mind and still be open to OTHER people who might be open the kindness, and who will offer it back to  you.  Or back to others.  Don’t let the people who take advantage of you change yourself, who you are, or give you a rationale for taking advantage of other people.

So these days, I’m trying really hard to be the bigger person in every encounter I have with another human being.  I think it’s worth the effort to be kind.  Even if they aren’t kind back, at least you know you did what you could.  If they don’t accept it, that’s a “Them Problem”….  not a “You Problem”.

By doing so, I’ve recently met quite a few people who have enriched my life.  In a VERY positive way.  Had I stayed cynical, that would have never happened.

And I like that.

You never know for sure what a simple act of kindness can do for another person.  And you might not ever know.  But you CAN know you treated another human being with kindness and respect.  And you can feel good about yourself.  That’s a pretty big deal.

If we all treated each other with kindness and respect, just imagine what could happen.

Just Imagine.

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