“In a World Where You Can Be Anything, Be Kind”

I really like this quote. OK, I admit it showed up on my Facebook feed, but I still really like it.

Kindness doesn’t always show itself in our world. Business people negotiating hard on opposite sides, litigants in a bitter dispute, even just a disagreement amongst friends.

But, being kind is a choice. Every day. And I am happy to say I had a great role model.

My mother used to work in the city and she commuted in and out of Penn Station. One day, my father met her in the city and they were coming home together. When their train was announced, he tried to direct her to the closest stairway to descend to the track level but she insisted on taking a different stairway at the back of the train. My dad came to learn that every day of her commute, my mother met an older man at the top of the stairs and helped him get down to the train because he had trouble with the stairs. I am reasonably sure that she didn’t even know his name. But he needed her help and her kindness and she gave it willingly.

Can you share a story of kindness?