Common sense is beginning to set in. All the changes we have been experiencing have now become the normal pattern. I’m not going to sugar-coat it, I am hugger. I call everyone ‘darling’ and open up my arms wide to embrace whoever is in front of me. Not anymore, however – the pandemic changed that! Now, a smile has to suffice in place of the warm body press that I used to exchange.
Yet, even with the profound human changes that have taken place, I am still hopeful because I see a new awakening happening and it is remarkable. The infectiousness of the virus had a side effect – it’s Kindness. And, what I am seeing is prevalent – kindness is sprouting up everywhere even in the most unlikely places. It is cropping up in places that usually require courage and strength before walking through the door. Now, it’s become the unimagined contagion.
From what I have witnessed, people have come together I saw a college-aged student stop and help load groceries in an elderly gentleman’s car. I immediately thought of a favorite John Prine song ‘Hello In There’, it was beautiful. I also watched as a grocery clerk reached in her pocket and paid for a whining toddler’s treat she selected at the checkout counter so as to soothe a rattled young mother… just because. And I observed a Harley-riding bandana-wearing gentleman dressed in leathers stop and hold the door for a group of following teenagers entering Starbucks. All of these were extraordinary acts of kindness borne out of human desire to do better.
From people making sure elderly relatives don’t feel alone, and those who turned canceled events into opportunities to give back, I stand in awe. I am so enamored by these feats of greatness, that if I am dreaming, I don’t want to wake up!
This new awakening of the human spirit is a welcome and sorely missed societal attribute. I believe that as we sail through the metamorphosis of our world, we will all emerge stronger in character and kinder in heart for that is what the angels have been dreaming up! And, I have that on High authority!