Life is hard. This is not an original thought. As I have matured, I have come to realize that life is hard for everyone. At some point (and for some it is many points) in each of our lives, we all struggle with something. And those “somethings” cannot be compared and rated on a scale of one to ten because each “something” is someone’s reality, their real struggle. Life is hard for everyone.

Sometimes I think life is particularly hard for good people. I know a lot of good people with big struggles, such as watching a parent die, dealing with a troubled child, ending a painful marriage and simply struggling to make ends meet from month to month. That is why it still amazes and inspires me that these good people with lots of challenge in their lives make kindness a priority. Shirley , the woman at the dry cleaners who calls me Gloria (because she thinks I look like Gloria Estefan), always asks about my kids and tells me how good I’m lookin’ – who doesn’t like to hear that?! I may not know much about Shirley’s life, but I know she has been working at that dry cleaner for many years. She works hard, has a family, and I assume she has some issues that challenge her everyday life. But Shirley always has a smile and kind words. John at Kinko’s is another example. John has been working at Kinko’s for many years and he clearly has some physical disability. I see John at the bus stop and walking the streets of Clayton frequently. John’s daily physical life is work, and I cannot imagine what that must be like. Nevertheless, John is an exemplar of customer service and has an unbelievable sense of humor.

Ok, so I don’t really know these people and perhaps their kind gestures do not necessarily translate into “good people.” But I look at my own friends and I see similarities. They all work hard, striving to make a living, support their families, contribute to their societies and offer kindness along the way. I have come to believe that most of us want and do all of these things. There are a lot of good people out there. Be kind because you are likely to get some kindness back.