Kindness Matters

Flying home today, My Wife and I stopped in a restaurant at the Phoenix airport.  As I looked at the menu, My Wife noticed a gentleman having a conversation with our waitress.  My Wife nudged me and I started to listen to their conversation.  It became clear in minutes, that the gentleman was not able to pay the bill.  He was using the waitress's cell phone, trying to make a phone call to get someone to help him pay his bill.  What got My Wife's attention was when the manager became a part of the conversation to say, "The problem here is that if you don't pay this, then she'll (the waitress) have to."

There are many, many reasons why I fell in love with My Wife.  What happened next, epitomizes who My Wife is.  She leaned into me and said, "Let's pay the bill for this guy.  I don't want to have that waitress stuck with the bill."  Kindness matters.

A little kindness does go a long way.  Whether to a complete stranger or to our students or to our own family, kindness matters in relationships.  I recently read an article in The Atlantic that attested to the fact that kindness & generosity are the science of lasting relationships.

Celebrating Valentine's Day, admittedly a Hallmark holiday, causes us to think about the relationships in our lives.  What I learned from the example that My Wife today and this article I read is that kindness matters.  So whether with your family, your students, or strangers, practice kindness to maintain and improve the relationships in your life.

As superintendent, a substantial part of my role has to do with relationships.  It is my job to make sure that people feel heard when they come to meet with me.  We don't always have to agree but I do expect that people can leave my office feeling heard.  Today I was reminded by My Wife, in the most wonderful and simple way that even with random strangers, kindness matters.  Be kind!