I am very conscious of the fact that sometimes a smile or a kind gesture from me is perhaps the only kind thing that someone may experience that entire day. And therefore the need to consciously make that difference, even if I am not feeling fantastic myself. I have had such dark days. I never forget this poem I wrote a very long time ago, when I nearly cried at the railway station counter because someone was nice to me, as I fumbled in my despair, even more clumsy than usual. I still remember her after decades. I am still repaying my debt to her, by passing on her kindness.
Kindness
Friendly lady at the ticket counter,
Smiling as you explain my mistake
Did you wonder why my eyes filled
As I reached out for my change?
I did not tell you, I could not tell you
That yours was the only kindness
I received,
This long cruel merciless day.
"How about we lie in bed and remember that one kind thing from our day. That one tender moment, beautiful accident, chance encounter, a look exchanged. The way a hand rests on the top of a dog's head, the fondling of a floppy ear. The sympathetic look someone gives you in a long line-up. The caring and funny email a friend writes you. The glass of wine poured for you at the end of a long day."
Wage Tenderness, Wage Peace
Shawna Lemay
http://transactionswithbeauty.com/home/wagetenderness
