Have you been kinded today?

“Love” is both a noun and verb. Thus, we can say love is the grease or icing, if you will, to sound and/or resounding relationships. And, we say, “I love you” around the globe several times a day.

However, when it comes to “kind”, which to me is a close cousin of “love”, somehow the oddity of the English language defines it as either a noun or an adjective. Thus, we may ask, “What kind of books do you like to read? And, we say, “I have not made a conscious effort to notice those who have been kind to me.”

By using “kind” as a verb today, I think it will go some distance to jolt our memory on those unappreciated persons who have kinded us, i.e., shown us kindness (if you prefer the long form as a practising English police) and, at the same time, spur us to kind others.

When we kind someone, it means that we care about their feelings or happiness. It would also mean that we are gracious in showing warmth, friendliness, generosity and favour to others; yes, even without having them to earn it.

We are blessed when others kind us. I would reason that we are even more blessed when we are in a position of grace and maturity to kind others. And, in this kindway of gracious living, let’s not forget to kind ourselves, too.

When we unkind ourselves, it is that much harder to care for others. As with charity, honesty and all good things which begin at home, let’s guard our hearts and continue our journey of kindness by kinding ourselves and our immediate family members.

Alas, we may be unkinded at times. This is when our character is tested, bringing out either the best or the worst in us. Our response to an unkind event towards us will be very telling of the kind of person we really are. What response would we choose?

We can choose to die to our natural response of selfishness and/or self-preservation. We could choose to go up to a higher plane of graciousness with humility and big heartedness. And, we might wanna do all that we can to kind the unkind besides the least, the last and the lost.

Be kind; be one of a kind, and you may find more of your kind!