For 13 years, I lived in a city that was twice designated as “the kindest city in America,” first in 1940 and then in 1992. Rochester, New York earned this moniker in 1992 when university students pretended to accidentally drop something, need change, or be disabled and needing assistance. The title went to Rochester because more people went out of their way to help than in 35 other cities studied.
When Readers Digest reported this story in July 1994, the kindness trait was attributed to the transformation of the city more than a century earlier when evangelist Charles G. Finney held religious revivals in Rochester in 1830, 1842, and 1856. When thousands, across all social classes and ages, converted to Christianity the moral character of the city changed for the better and people lived to do good.
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I no longer live in Rochester or know the current character of the city, but I do know that God shows kindness to all people regardless of whether they follow Him: the sun comes up every morning, birds sing, flowers bloom, the list is endless. Likewise, God gave us all the capacity to be kind. Yes, everyone. Wherever we live, whatever our faith, we can be kind to one another. “Kindness is a gift everyone can afford to give.”
Kindness to a complete stranger, a family member, or a coworker makes the world less caustic and more caring. February 17th, #RandomActsOfKindnessDay, encourages kindness. According to actor Morgan Freeman, we can change the world one random act of kindness at a time. And the world surely needs changing!
We can all share examples of how a simple act of kindness made our day. I have certainly benefited from neighbors showing me kindness by bringing in my garbage bin from the end of the driveway, dragging fallen palm fronds to the vegetation pile for pick up, or helping to lift or carry something heavy. Church and family members have been kind in too many ways to count. Plus, “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” This is true for me when grocery shopping, pumping gas, or retrieving luggage from an airport baggage carousel. But Tennessee Williams gets credit for the quote.
So this February 17th how will we show kindness to people with disabilities? Sometimes a smile is all it takes. According to William Arthur Ward, “A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.” Other ideas include:
- Allowing someone with a mobility impairment to jump ahead of you in the line
- Helping someone in distress like the driver who pulled over to help a woman whose front wheel on her wheelchair slid off the sidewalk and got stuck in a garden
- Calling someone who is staying safe at home during the pandemic
- Donating to a thrift store that employs people with disabilities
- Volunteering at a food bank serving people whose disability income does not put enough food on the table
For more of my writings, go to https://angelamuirvanetten.com where you can subscribe to my weekly blog, find several retail links to my book—“Pass Me Your Shoes”—and get updates on the Fall 2021 publication of the third book in my dwarfism trilogy, Always An Advocate.
11 replies on ““If You Can Be Anything, Be Kind””
I LOVED this article. So true and encouraging.
Thanks for your kind words Sheila.
Thanks for spreading a little kindness of your own. We need this these days.
You’re welcome Patreen. “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Very well done Angela. I keep forgetting that we lived in a city built on that principle.
Yes, we experienced much kindness during our years living in Rochester. “I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.” William Penn
Enjoyed the read! Thanks for the advanced notice of Feb 17 being Random Acts of Kindness Day. Just so happens that I’m donating blood that day. Like what you said…” I do know that God shows kindness to all people regardless of whether they follow Him: the sun comes up every morning, birds sing, flowers bloom, the list is endless.”
Donating blood is a great example of kindness. Robert and I have had our share over the years.
Sometimes we all need a gentle reminder to show kindness. Whether we are in a hurry, busy, or just preoccupied, it’s common to forget how easy it can be to offer a smile or a helping hand.
So true.
“The world is full of kind people… if you can’t find one, be one.” Author unknown.