Kind, adjective; having or showing a gentle nature and a desire to help others.

Am I embarrassed to say that I sat here for exactly 5 minutes trying to think of a kind thing I’ve done but nothing came to mind?

Yes.

Am I having difficulty recalling a time that a pure stranger showed me a random act of kindness out of the goodness of their heart?

Yes.

Maybe kindness was the day I drove through the Starbucks drive-through and was told that our order was paid for by the person in front of us. Or maybe kindness was me deciding to pay it forward to the person behind us despite knowing how much it would be.

Perhaps it’s neither of those things to you. Maybe it’s looking in the mirror and telling myself that I look good despite seeing a new pimple on my cheek. Or maybe it’s my friend reassuring me that it’s not even noticeable after I express my worry about the blemish.

Maybe kindness is ordering something cheap from the fast-food menu when someone else is paying. Or maybe kindness is someone offering to pay for it in the first place.

Perhaps it’s neither of those things to you. Maybe it’s your mom telling you’re going to do great on the test you’re dreading. Or maybe it’s telling yourself you’ll do better next time after you get your grade back.

It doesn’t require a big gesture to be kind to yourself and others.

To me, kindness means helping one another get by. What is kindness to you?