Kindness has a name.

It is not an easy task to change how I feel about the things that make me happy--those people, those times, those places.  Sealed in a chest and anchored in the midst of a murky sea, it is difficult to remove any of the existing contents (or even to add to it).  They are things I know deeply and can name in my sleep.

Perhaps a little more elusive is to change how I feel about the things that cause me anguish--the people, the times, the places.  Actions, absences, disappointments.  They make for a hefty shovel to dig dirt and to bury life.  I have heard and experienced a great deal of those anguishes.  As a result, there are many days when happiness evades me and I do not feel any type of special at all.

And then something unexpected occurs: kind words.  Kind words that alter a day's meaning, a day's perspective, a day's being.  Words that remove the glass in my eyes and reveal a glorious stage, a stage where light shines from all directions.  I am certain you know of what it is I speak.  Simply imagine those late afternoons when you and I finally accept the sun's invitation to envelop ourselves in his golden hour of light; simply imagine those clear evenings when you and I realize the earth does not stop or begin with our existence or non-existence; simply imagine those spring mornings when you and I see daylight as a gift to appreciate and not to take for granted; and simply imagine those wintry nights when you and I finally see beyond ourselves and into each other.

Kind words are the milk and honey to our souls.  They inspire and revive.  For many people like myself, unexpected kind words can be the reason we begin to see life differently, more brilliantly, more meaningfully.

Kind words that sprout from a genuinely kind heart is the humble hero who lifts the burdens from dropped shoulders and places them elsewhere so you and I can rest, if only momentarily.  And when the happy is more happy and the sad is less sad, I start to believe in the good once again. 

The young ones are running excitedly through the meadows--laughing, dancing, embracing every single ounce of life that has been made available to them.  Today, I have been inspired to join their spirited adventure because of the kind words from one gentle soul. 

To him I say, Thank you.  I hope you laugh, dance, and embrace life a little more today, too.