When was the last time you went out of your way to do something nice for a stranger?  The simplest act of kindness can literally change someone’s life.  When simple actions or even just words can have a profound effect on another the smallest act can make everything else we go through worth it. 

When I think back on the high points in my life the things that stand out to me aren’t my achievements, even though there have been plenty.  It’s the things that I know I have done that have made a difference for someone else.  Helping a stranded motorist change a tire on a rural road with no cell service.  Giving a homeless man my coat in a rainstorm on a cold night.  Helping a lost cell phone find it’s owner and learning it’s owner was trying to deal with an emergency situation.  Helping a disadvantaged kid get into college and get financial aid, that was a big one for me and a longer story for another time.  These are the moments that I reflect on when I’m feeling the weight of my life.  If I do nothing else in my life I have made a lasting difference for at least 1 other person, so my life has meaning.

 My hope for you is that when you wear this wristband you will take a moment out of your day to offer someone a hand when you don’t have to. That you’ll think twice before ignoring that homeless veteran asking for help to buy some food on your way into work.  That you might decide to do a charitable act for someone that is down on their luck or who is having a rough day.  Kindness begets kindness, it can inspire others.  That little act of kindness can change a life, and like the butterfly effect, it can reach much, much further than you can imagine.  You never know if your small action today will have a domino effect and lead a profound change in the world tomorrow.    Being kind is more than just being civil.  Kindness is how empathy manifests, and empathy is part of what makes us human.

Will