Passing Down Kindness

My daughter and I love going to the local park. We run and swing and play and explore. Sometimes we even make friends. Most of the time we are in our own little world oblivious to any other persons on the playground. Oblivious to their needs or welfare as human beings. One seemingly unimportant day about a year ago, I realized there was still some hope for humanity. I don't think I will ever forget that day.

Aurora and I were swinging as high as we could and laughing about everything. I mean we were having a really great time at the park that day. There were a few other people around but no one that caught our attention until an older woman and a grown man came through the gate. She looked tired but he looked excited as all get out to be at the park! One of the other families starting packing up and left. I didn't really think anything of it. I mean Aurora and I were having the best time so why would I? Across the swingset the man sat at the very end as far as he could from everyone while the woman sat down her purse and got ready to push him. The other mother nearest them pushing her toddler in a baby swing quickly grabbed her child and left with a look of panic on her face as if the man were poison. But Aurora and I were having a blast! So why would I care? Now it was just us and them. The man took a liking to me and wanted to be close to us. Maybe it was because our fun looked enticing to the man or maybe he could simply tell that we didn't mind him being there. He moved closer and closer. The older woman kept saying she would move the man away and we could keep having our fun. I didn't understnd why though. He wasn't a bother for us at all. I was jumping back and fourth between swinging on my swing and pushing Aurora while politely talking with the woman. She looked very tired so I suggested she go sit and I would push the man awhile for her. She hesitatedly but gratefully accepted my offer. He clicked with us well and we ended up playing for over an hour together. Aurora and I swung with him and ran around playing tag with him. We listened to his stories and he listened to Auroras. It was honestly a lot fun. I didn't think a single thing of it. I was just there having as much fun as the two of them. The woman called the man to start getting ready as the sun finally started to set. He and Aurora made a mulch pile at the bottom of a slide and were clearing it off when the woman approached me. She had a tear in her eye as she thanked me for being so kind to her son. She said people look at him and see a monster. They treat him as if he were contagious or infected. People take their children and leave when we come to play so we usually don't. She said, 'Today he was being very ornery and I needed a break so we came here. Where people instantly started leaving and staring. I am all he has and I am tired. Not once did you or your daughter flinch from him. Not once did either of you lose your grace. Thank you. You both have made our day.' By now we are both in tears and hugging like old friends.

Thank you? For what? I was astounded. I did nothing!!! We played with another person at the park. It was literally nothing for us. But for that very tired mother it was something. For that man who is constantly pushed out it was everything. How cruel is the world that this unimportant 'act of kindness' literally brought this poor sweet woman to tears? Shame on all of us. We all sit around and judge from the comfort of our own couches and guess who is watching? Our children. AKA the next generation. Do as I say not as I do! WELL they see us. They see and hear how we as adults act and treat people when we think no one else is watching. Aurora didn't see a single thing wrong with him because I didn't. We saw someone who was BORN a little more special. Someone who, just like us, wanted to play with a new friend. I have thought about that day fondly since. I was impressed by Aurora. Unwittingly I had already planted the seeds of kindness so deep within my daughter that they were already in full bloom! That was her first face to face encounter with someone differently abled like him. She naturally didn't see a monster. She naturally saw a fun person whom mom said it was okay to play with so she played! We never saw them again but I will always remember the smile on their faces as they left that day.

Whatever moral you get out of this story please just try to be kinder moving forward. Start with being kind to yourself and then watch it bloom and blossom all around.