So, World Kindness Day is rolling around again on November 13th – you know, that day when we're nudged by the calendar to be extra nice. But hang on a minute. Let’s be real – some days we just can't muster up the Mary Poppins vibe. On those days, might I suggest the radical act of... silence? A deep breath can be a kindness lifesaver when the sweet tsunami of parenting sweeps us off our feet.
And get this, the dictionary (hello, dusty book on the top shelf!) describes 'kind' as a bunch of creatures sharing the same traits. Well, shucks, that sounds a lot like us, right? Two arms for hugging, two legs for marathon Lego-building sessions, and a heart and mind designed for crafting worlds of love and imagination for our kiddos.
Cue the flashback to little me at 2 or 3 years old, sitting in a garden with a guava tree that seemed more like a broccoli forest. My aunt was off to chase the American Dream, and I was there, dispensing goodbye hugs like a mini Oprah. "You get my love! And you get my love! Everyone gets my love!" It was a magic drop in the ocean of kindness that we can each create. That fuss-free, genuine wish for someone else's happiness – that’s the good stuff, folks.
I'm willing to bet my last chocolate stash that we’re all born with a kindness gene, coded right in there with the ones for making adorable faces and an uncanny ability to get into mischief. Innocence is a child’s VIP pass to a judgment-free world where everybody is just different versions of their snack-sharing besties.
Ever watch kids meet animals for the first time? They're like tiny explorers coming face-to-face with majestic creatures from a fairy-tale land. It's part wonder, part "Will it eat my cookie?", and all kindness – because they haven't learned all those boring adult rules about who deserves our smiles and who doesn’t.
Imagine if we could channel that childlike curiosity when we stub our toe on life's coffee table. What if instead of grumbling, we asked, "Why did that pesky table jump in front of me?" A little curiosity can pave the way to empathy and patience, especially on days when the kids have turned the house into a Picasso painting.
Our mini-me's are constant reminders that once upon a time, we were kindness warriors in training – we just didn't know it yet. Embracing the spirit of World Kindness Day every day is like choosing to wear those rose-colored glasses that make even 7 AM cartoons bearable. It's about growing a little more, understanding a smidge better, and sprinkling a bit more of that kindness magic around like confetti.
So here's to transforming every day into a World Kindness Day, one tiny, heartfelt act at a time – because, in the end, that’s what makes this wild ride of parenting truly spectacular. Who's with me?
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