Maybe it's partly because it's February, maybe because it's an election year, but I am getting worn out of all of the negativity I am hearing from people. Not so much on the boards, but IRL. This "everyone is an idiot, especially people who disagree with me, get in my way or otherwise irritate me" meme is getting old. Really, really old.
This morning I got up early and went to the grocery store. My kids have been taking turns being sick for several days now and I needed to get some ginger ale and saltines. I was bagging my groceries and this older lady struck up a conversation with me. She was so blessedly pleasant and friendly that she just made my day. I came home and instead of being crabby and feeling justifiably over-tired, I feel really good. I am able to put this sickness and sleep deprivation in perspective and as a result I am being kinder to my family, who in turn is being kinder to each other. It's contagious.
This is the second reminder I've had in the last few days of how far little kindnesses can go. A neighbor reminded me of some small thing I'd done that didn't even register on my radar screen, but had apparently made a big difference to her.
All of this has me resolved to make an active effort to put more positivity and kindness out in the world. I'll have to think about practical ways to do this, but mostly, I am just going to try to see what good I can put out in the world each day. If anyone would like to join me, I would love to hear what you all are doing. It would make for a nice antidote to the crabbiness.
So far this morning I've been taking care of my sick daughter, getting her ginger ale and watching cartoons to distract her from her misery. Also, although we actually did it yesterday, I was just reading on facebook that the annonymous Valentine we left in a neighbor's mail box made her smile.
That's it so far today, but it is only 9AM. There's time left in the day.