The power of kindness
If you know me, then you know I love a good challenge. I thrive off of healthy competition.
As I was scrolling through Instagram the other week, I saw someone doing the Iron Knee Challenge. I stopped the scroll, took a second to watch it, and immediately wondered if I could do it. I decided to give it a shot. If you missed it you can check it out here.
I had no expectations when I started the movements. When I watched the video originally, I was almost more concerned about how my toes would handle it than my knees. Squatting is not an issue for me but being on my toes is. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to do it. Both my toes and my knees survived relatively unscathed.
I had people message me to say I was lucky to have such great knees. This struck me as somewhat ironic because my knees have been a problem on and off for years but have gotten progressively worse over the last few months. The best part was, I took the challenge two days before I went in to see my brother, who is an orthopedist, because my knees had gotten so painful. 😂 Great timing, right?
This story was a great reminder that we never really know what is going on in other people's lives. People walk around with chronic physical, mental, and emotional pain that we can't see. And often, they do it with a smile on their face. How many times has someone filled you in on what was happening in their life and you find yourself thinking, I had no idea!
Everyone you know is dealing with some sort of suffering whether you know about it or not.
Anyone who saw my video would not imagine that my aching knees were keeping me up at night or making it painful to drive. They wouldn't know that after the last time I went hiking I limped around for the next week and a half. Nor would they know that this is just one of many health issues I'm managing daily.
I'm not saying this to make you feel bad for me, I'm using it as an example to show that unless you have a front-row seat to someone's life, there is no way you can know what is going on behind the scenes.
We look at other people and often make assumptions about their lives. We think they have it easy, or that they've never had to struggle. We have no idea what kind of struggles they face in their day-to-day lives. Those invisible battles take a toll on people over time.
One thing that can make a huge impact on others is to treat them with kindness and compassion. A simple act of kindness can change someone's entire day. Your act of kindness may be in the form of a smile to a stranger, checking in with a friend, listening to your kid without needing to advise or respond, or taking a breath instead of reacting to your partner.
These acts can be so simple yet so powerful. To you, it may seem like no big deal, but the impact it has on the other person is often immeasurable.
As Aesop said, "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
As you head out into the world, just remember that everyone is managing their own battles. Our perception of a situation may not be the reality of the situation. (Remember my knees! 😉) It costs you nothing to be kind and respectful to people, but it may be just what they need to turn their day around.