HOW I FOUND KINDNESS IN 2015
Last week, I was having breakfast at Dunkin Donuts when a woman approached me with a friendly smile across her face. I had seen her there a few times before, and as we began talking, the woman suddenly started to cry. She slid her fist across the table, and in it was a one-hundred-dollar bill. As she wept, she said, "I need you to have this," then wished me and my friend a merry Christmas and went back to her husband who shot us a smile from his table.
When I got home that day, I took the bill and had it paper clipped to a frame on my wall. It may sound a little unorthodox since I could probably do A LOT with that one bill, but I needed to put it there. I needed to put it there to remind me that there's still so much kindness in a seemingly unkind world. I needed to put it there to remember that random acts of kindness are going to make all the difference in today's society. I needed to put it there to remind me just how kind 2015 has been to me.
Kindness is contagious. It brings a sense of purpose to your life and feeds your soul. It humbles you. And, there's only one thing better in this world than receiving an act of kindness...it’s giving it. Giving kindness allows you to express your most authentic self. It shows your selflessness and gives you the opportunity to make a difference through your words and actions. It is what the world needs more of.
To the people who have showered me with their kindness, thank you. Thank you to all those who were a part of the 530 Working On Walking fighters that one beautiful night in August. Thank you to the people who work tirelessly on the fundraiser and donate so much of their time to my cause. Thank you to my friends who have cheered me on and kept me smiling when life became too hard. Thank you to my family, supporters, and even strangers who have encouraged me along the way. I am a better person because of your kindness, and I am doing my best to pay it forward.
The year 2015 has given me so many memorable moments, I will leave you with this video I received from my good friend, Stacey James, the night before Thanksgiving. Being the kindest man I have ever met, Stacey was just being Stacey and decided to send me a little email surprise. (But, truthfully, it was more of an I-think-I'm-having-a-heart-attack-I-am-utterly-speechless surprise.) The more I thought about the video, the more I realized it is the perfect example of KINDNESS and decided to share it with you. Tom Brady, Stacey James, and the entire Patriots organization do incredible things for people every day, and people need to be reminded of all the goodness that takes place off the football field. It's small acts of kindness like Tom recording this video for me that are going to inspire people (including me) to want do the same.
Here's to spreading more kindness in 2016.
