As I reflect on the year I’ve had in 2023, it’s safe to say it was a little chaotic (but in the best way)! My fiancé, Amir, and I bought our first house in April and we’ve been working on some minor renovations to make it our own. We’re also deep into planning our wedding. There is so much to be grateful for, but sometimes the chaos of day-to-day life can distract from it. In those moments of chaos, acts of kindness bring things back into perspective.
Kindness is our real estate agent who patiently explained how the home-buying process works and answered our millions of questions so kindly and patiently. Other agents we spoke with were condescending, but not her.
Kindness is my parents and future parents-in-law sharing their expertise as we navigate life as new homeowners… is the hose supposed to be leaking like that?? How do you replace an outlet?? Can we borrow your power tools?? Christmas lights are going to increase our electric bill by HOW MUCH??
Kindness is the Lowe’s employees who patiently answered our countless questions about the new carpet. Who knew there were so many options?
Kindness is the wedding vendors that so clearly love what they do and go out of their way to make us feel so special as we plan our big day.
Kindness is the stranger that handed me a $10 Target gift card as I walked into the store, for no reason other than “just because”.
Kindness is my sister driving across town and spending her afternoon off at my engagement photoshoot to be our dog handler so our dog, Bonnie, could be in some of the photos.
Kindness is my mom picking up an online order for me on the way home from work so I didn’t have to drive to get it.
Kindness is the coffee shop owner who always has a smile on her face and knows my name and order.
Each of these interactions may not seem like much on their own, but they clearly meant a lot to me as I remember them all these months later. And I hope the acts of kindness that I’ve reciprocated impacted them in the same way or at least made them smile.It’s important to take a step back to see the good in the world, it’s not always loud and in your face. Small moments can make a big difference. And in a world that already has so much pain and hardship, why not be kind?
