Kindness doesn’t have to be huge, hairy and hard to reach (or teach)

Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Social Responsibility

Lloyd giving me a hand at the recent Northern Voices conference. Notes his t-shirt: code is poetry (Photo by KK)

Some things are complicated.  Some things are complex.  Some things though are simple.  Deceptively simple.

Like kindness.

I love Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s Thought Bubble – Kindness video for that reason.  It’s not huge and hairy and hard to reach.  Rather it’s simple, soft and within our grasp.  It’s also easy to teach.  Kindness is the ultimate ‘lead by example’.

Spoiler alert: I love that she marries the guy in the end.

With all things kind in mind, here’s some reasons to say thanks:

Thanks to Lloyd Budd of WordPress fame who helped me out something fierce and magical (in my eyes) at the recent Northern Voices conference with some tech headaches I’d been having.  That’s him above doing his magic while I look on in awe.  He was gracious.  He was smart.  He was hugely helpful.  He was kind.

Thanks to Julie Szabo from Capulet Communications, my social media mentor.  Every month we meet she pours her wisdom into my social media starved brain cells.  I used to feel like a giraffe on rollerblades trying to cross a frozen wasteland.  Now I feel smarter and more able to navigate what once was a social media swampland.  Julie’s incredibly savvy.  She’s a keen listener.  She directs her wisdom to what I need both in the moment and for future success.  She’s kind.

Thanks to a friend who many moons ago was kind enough to rescue a bedraggled me.  I was soaked from a bike ride in the rain and this person swapped out clothes while washing and drying mine.  This person gave me some passes to a pub I loved.  This person lent me a bag for the first ocean kayak trip I was about to embark on.  In short, this person was and continues to be incredibly kind.  One of the kindest souls I know.

That’s one of the reasons I married him, my husband Doug.

Kindness.  It’s simple.

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Permalink | Comments (6) | May 21, 2010

6 Responses to “Kindness doesn’t have to be huge, hairy and hard to reach (or teach)”

  1. Dyana Valentine Says:
    May 21st, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    thank you for the joy cry in the middle of my day. This post came in right on time. I was just lamenting, jumping on my anxiety cycle for an upcoming talk, feeling pudgy (eating pasta after weeks of no wheat didn’t help, I know, I know) and just generally feeling shoulderslumpedandshuffling. Your post and that gorgeously tender video saved my day. Thank you.

  2. Julie Szabo Says:
    May 21st, 2010 at 3:37 pm

    Lee-Anne, you are so welcome. You’re a fast learner and your passion for writing and sharing is an inspiration. I have enjoyed knowing you and watching you take big strides with your blog and your business.

  3. Lee-Anne Ragan Says:
    May 22nd, 2010 at 10:19 am

    Dyana – Your comment made my day. It’s surprising and quite radical what a little kindness can do. Thank you.

  4. Lee-Anne Ragan Says:
    May 22nd, 2010 at 10:21 am

    Thanks Julie. I am absolutely convinced, from the tip of my big toe to the crown of my head, that I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am with social media if it wasn’t for you. You have a knack of making it knoweable, doable and darnright fun.

  5. Farouk Says:
    May 23rd, 2010 at 11:43 pm

    that’s an amazing video, thank u for posting it 🙂

  6. Lee-Anne Ragan Says:
    May 24th, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    You’re so welcome Farouk – thank you for your comment. Amazing what a little kindness can accomplish.

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