As I was walking through our hallway today, I noticed a “random act of kindness.”

One of our five-year-old students was in line behind a younger child. When the younger child dropped his paper, the older child picked it up and immediately handed it to him saying, “Here is your paper.”

I thought, how sweet!  Perhaps his Mom or Dad had encouraged him to help others? Was it his teacher who taught him the importance of kindness? Or had he seen others act in such a manner and he was modeling their behavior?

Perhaps, it was a combination of all of the above?

This got me thinking about how Ryan and I have talked about kindness over the years.  It is a discussion that we have had frequently, as I believe that what sets us apart as an individual is how we treat others.

But talking about kindness is only a part of the equation; kindness is best learned by feeling it and then reciprocating…being kind to others.

So, part of our nightly dinner conversation centers around what acts of kindness each of us did that day.  Who did the most?????

As I was writing about kindness, I was pleasantly surprised to read that Autism Speaks has declared 2020 as the Year of Kindness.  Their goal is to achieve one million acts of kindness before the year’s end to create a more inclusive, kinder world for the autism community.

They have created many resources, available on their website:  autismspeaks.org/kindness

Ryan and I are going to sign up for the kindness break…why don’t you?