December 11, 2007

Kindness

Today there was one more item crossed off the list to make the passing of my mother complete. It's difficult keeping up with the small details we never notice we do. Turning off the cell phone account - my lifeline to her. Funny thing, she never kept it turned on except when she wanted to call you. She never even set up the voice mail over four years. Always that voice telling me the voice mail was not set up. That was my mom - technology avoidant.

The representative today made me think of that quote about being kinder than necessary because we never know what the other person is experiencing. In today's world I find it difficult to think that many people do it. But she was...overly kind. Some how it made me cry harder.

Maybe that's why people aren't kinder. Because of those feelings we feel when someone is kind. Maybe we've grown so accustomed to cruelty and abuse we no longer recognize the goodness. Maybe in the past kindnesses have been used as weapons. You know those trojan bastards set a bad example of that with gift horses.

Kindess cruelty is that passive agressive sword that carves a wide path of destruction and insecurity. Some people have become so talented at it, it is difficult to recognize at first. But it rips at a soul and renders that person insecure and timid....or, it can have the opposite effect of making them cruel. Always with the extremes, no?

I'm not sure where that came from, so I'm going to let this piece of my soul lay barren. Admit that I have problems accepting kindnesses at face value. Maybe from that I can learn the lesson taught today.

3 comments:

  1. I think I treat people on a scale of how I would like to be treated. It makes me upset sometimes when people aren't at least civil back. I turn the kindness up a notch, and maybe they will just get the slightest flicker of guilt...probably not, but thats what gets me by.

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  2. I try that too...I'm just not used to it in return. Today it overwhelmed me.

    Kill 'em with kindness

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  3. It's sad when we live in a time where kindness is the exception rather than the norm, but I'm so glad you were the recipient!

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i feel as if each comment was between us as we sat and sipped something warm....i love to hear what you're thinking.