Kindness and Positive Feedback

"We all need people who will give us feedback.  That's how we improve."

~ Bill Gates

I have a friend who also is a professional colleague.  Recently, she attended a meeting that I had organized.  She called me after the meeting to tell me how much she enjoyed it and how she truly loves being involved with the organization. 

Kindness and the Grumpy Gentleman

"Am I grumpy?  I might be.  But I think maybe sometimes it's misinterpreted."

~ Harrison Ford

Getting ready to board a recent flight, I noticed an older gentleman who was very eager to get on the airplane.  He seemed bothered by having to wait.  Surprise -- when I made it on board, it turned out that he was my seatmate.  I apologized for his having to get up, so that I could get into my seat by the window.  He didn't respond; he just seemed bothered by my presence.  During the flight, he harrumphed as another gentleman spoke loudly and in generally just seemed grumpy.  In my mind, my seatmate became Grumpy Man.  At one point, when I had fallen asleep, I felt his arm across me as he lowered the window shade.  He told me the light was bothering him.  (For my part, I like to see what is going on outside, which is why I choose a window seat.)  Once we landed, he muttered under his breath about the same gentleman who was now talking quite loudly on his mobile phone.  But Grumpy Man surprised me.  He pulled out his two bags from the overhead compartment, and then without a word, pulled mine out and set it in front of me.  

Kindness and a Speaker

“Because that’s what kindness is.  It’s not doing something for someone else because they can’t, but because you can.”

~ Andrew Iskander

I recently was at a business meeting when the gentleman presenting tried clearing his throat a couple of times; he seemed to have something caught in his throat.  Within seconds, two of the participants handed him cups of water.  “That’s very kind,” he said, gratefully drank the water and carried on.

The Kindness of Christmas Cheer… at the Airport

“Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting.  It is happiness because we see joy in people.  It is forgetting self and finding time for others.  It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values.”

~ Thomas S. Monson

A woman I know recently had to travel for work – and really didn’t want to.  It was over the weekend during the holiday season and she had a whole host of other reasons why she did not want to travel.  She arrived at the airport with the grumpiness factor at an all-time high.  She asked if upgrades were available – no, full flight.  And then as she waited at the gate, one of the airline gate employees, sporting a colorful necklace of oversized plastic holiday lights, took out a guiro, a Latin American percussion instrument, and proceeded to play it and sing Christmas songs.  Madame Grumpy burst out laughing.  Minutes later as she sat on the plane, the airline employee once again walked up and down the aisle playing the funny little instrument and singing, “I Wanna Wish You a Merry Christmas.”  It was impossible not to smile and the joy of the season.

The Kindness of a Ride

"Be a little kinder than you have to."

~ E. Lockhart

On a recent weekend, my children were participating in a competition that was at quite a distance from our house.  A mom friend invited us to drive to her house and then she would drive the longer distance.  It was not only a generous thing of her to do, but also much more fun for both my children and me.

Kindness and Peace of Mind

"The greatest gift we give each other is peace of mind."

~ MM

A mother who was picking up my daughter as well as hers texted me on a recent evening:  "I'll text you when the girls are with me for your peace of mind."  Her thoughtful text reminded me of a gift tag that one of my dearest friends once gave me with the quote above.  I keep that tag in my agenda where I can see it every day.  It reminds me of my friend, who is living very far away these days, and it reminds me to give others peace of mind whenever I can.  It truly is a great gift.

The Kindness of the Next Best Thing

"Never suppress a generous thought."

~ Camilla Eyring Kimball

My son recently went on a school field trip.  When they asked for chaperone volunteers, I volunteered -- I know that my field trip days are numbered (the children are growing up faster than I could ever have imagined.)  Unfortunately, I did not get chosen as they selected two parents who have not chaperoned before.  Thankfully, my son is old enough to understand this.  I, on the other hand, was a little sad...  Again, I know my days of field trip chaperoning will be over in a few months.  And then midway through the day, I was pleasantly and unexpectedly surprised with a photo that the teacher thoughtfully sent of my son at the museum.  Sometimes the next best thing is still priceless.