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Challenge: Raising Kind Kids

Your comfort matters when showing compassion.

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Passing out cold bottled waters on steamy Saturday afternoons downtown, was something that my son and I enjoyed doing.

I would elaborate on the difference that kindness makes as we pulled our wagon that carried our family cooler.

This was an activity that I would use to teach him to appreciate those from all walks of life and how the small act of giving someone a cold bottle of water could make a difference.

We had a nice home to return to once the heat became too much for him, unlike many of those that we gave water to, so on our way back I’d remind him that we should never take that for granted.

There was a particular Saturday that we gave out water, that honestly left my son VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.

There was a homeless man that became very aggressive in his request for the last of what we had in the cooler.

Luckily, a Walgreens security guard saw the situation, came out and handled it from there.

Needless to say, my son wanted to find another way to show kindness after that.

I explained to him that there are countless ways for one to show kindness to another and that it’s important for the giver to be comfortable as well.

Everyone says we need more compassion in the world, but what if your idea of compassion makes another person uncomfortable?

Here’s the thing, there are many acts of compassion that some people just aren’t cut out for and that’s okay.

However, showing compassion is always necessary and not to be viewed as a luxury.

Everyone isn’t cut out to be a nurse, a teacher, to volunteer at the homeless shelters, or to be in the military.

These are extraordinary people, but SO ARE YOU.

Maybe you’re the reporter that keeps the families back home informed, maybe you donate blood or maybe you just make sure the widowed, elderly lady at the end of your hall eats each day.

We all are important limbs of the same body that if we work together, the ripple effect of change made could be massive.

You may not be able to stomach the smell of shelters, you may not have the patience to teach 30+ children at once, you may not be able to handle the gruesome sights of war, but you can find ways to brighten someone's day.

Maybe you can simply donate to make someone else’s mission easier to execute or maybe you can be the mother that teaches her children to befriend the child that’s been left out.

There are acts of kindness tailored made to fit each of us.

Find them, wear them and work them with a smile.

Compassion doesn’t have any boundaries, so show it whenever it’s possible and it’s always possible!

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