Kind is the new Cool
The other day I was thinking back on my ten year old self helping my mom pack a tool box full of canned foods just in case Y2K actually happened, and here we are in 2019 telling a piece of plastic to make our grocery list. Not me, I’m still kickin' it old school and asking my husband to remind me, then I get home and realize I forgot the one thing I went to the store for anyway. I honestly cannot believe we are actually in 2019, it just doesn’t seem real.
I’m typically not a resolution girl, I don’t like to set myself up for failure, and writing down something like "I’m not going to eat cheesecake or brownies for an entire year” just seems unrealistic. I’d rather just starve. However, this year I did jot down a short list of goals that I’d like to accomplish this year. Small things, but things that I feel like will make a big difference in my daily life.
It usually is the small things that make the biggest differences. Making a list of “New Years Goals” (as I like to call them) doesn’t have to be this big, life changing, unattainable, scary thing. Just because Sally decided in 2019 she was going to hit 500 million followers on Instagram doesn’t mean that your goals are any less great! Maybe Sally just doesn’t have 16 piles of unfolded laundry, oatmeal in her hair, and isn’t living on her 12th cup of coffee that day. Good for Sally. What I’m saying is that small changes made over a long period of time can have the biggest impact on your daily life. Here’s one example…
You NEVER know what people are going through. I work with a group of girls who have been through things I couldn’t even imagine dealing with daily, and they take it like champs. They spend hours almost every day putting their lives on hold and taking care of other people, just to leave work, go home, and pick up their ‘problems’ again. Their stories are inspiring. They get out of bed every single day and keep going despite what they have been through, and where they have come from. So next time your server forgets to refill your drink without you having to ask, tip her anyway. If the barista makes your drink hot instead of iced, have grace, she may have to pay for that mistake. If the bank line is slow, maybe they’re short handed because someone's babysitter flaked. No, I’m not perfect. I will still get mad that I have to ‘pull forward’ every single time at a certain fast food restaurant in town, but I’m learning. My 2019 mantra will be "Kind is the new Classy”. I would say "cool" but I'm a 30 year old mom of three, so that ship set sail awhile ago. Just consider what an impact such a small change could have on the people around you. Instead of leaving an ugly note on your receipt, write something positive about your experience. Instead of cussing out the barista, just take the drink hot that day, because really it’s cold outside anyway. I can say from experience that those small mistakes are not brushed off, and sometimes one very small act of kindness can make the biggest difference.
- Beka
