Episode 541: Being Kind

[00:00:14] Allow me to welcome you to Dreas Point of View. I am your hostess, Dreya. And in the next 10 minutes or less, I will be offering you my perspective on a topic that I feel passionate about. I'd love to invite you to follow the show at Dreas Point of View on IG, Pinterest, Threads and Facebook. You can also find me at Dreas Point on X and Spill, as well as bluesky at dreaspointofview.bluesky.social.

[00:00:42] So this topic is one that mainly goes around this time of year, but it should echo throughout the year. And that is being kind, doing small gestures each day. Not only for someone else, but for yourself.

[00:01:19] It could be something simple as holding the door open for strangers. I do that often, but not holding it open and expecting a thank you, although that would be nice. But just holding the door open. Or if you're on an elevator, you see someone coming, making an attempt to hold that elevator open for someone.

[00:01:49] Or it could be something simple as saying thank you when someone does something for you. Saying excuse me goes along with this. So many people find that hard to say.

[00:02:08] I can count on one hand and subtract a few fingers how many times I hear the words, excuse me. And I don't know why that is. Young, old, no matter what race, no one really likes to say it.

[00:02:24] They will do everything getting past you, being in your personal space, but to say the words, excuse me. And I'll usually wind up saying it because that's what they should say. And then maybe they'll realize something.

[00:02:40] But they usually don't when I say it, even though they're supposed to say it. And that's just wild to me.

[00:02:45] I don't know. It's something that I was brought up to say. So it's just a habit for me.

[00:02:50] But I guess being polite, having manners, that's too much to ask. It could be something simple as paying it forward and getting something when you're in line.

[00:03:07] Getting something for the person behind you or a drive-thru. Now, that's never happened to me. Never happened to me. But I've always read stories about people who do that.

[00:03:21] And I think that is definitely a kind gesture. We're all going through something. We're all fighting some type of battle.

[00:03:31] And some of us are more fragile and sensitive than others.

[00:03:38] Especially with all the negativity that's going on. It's like every day you hear about something and then you have the inflation and people not happy about the election results.

[00:03:50] And it's just crazy out here. Like someone else said, it's like Gotham City. It's bananas. It's not really getting any better.

[00:04:00] So it would just be a great thing to be kind. A smile goes a long way. They say smiles are contagious.

[00:04:12] How often is it you're walking past someone and offering them a smile instead of either looking straight ahead or giving them a stare down?

[00:04:22] I know oftentimes, let's take the airport. Well, the airport is a different place, if you tell you.

[00:04:29] People don't act normal in the airport.

[00:04:34] But I've seen so many times people walk past one another and sometimes just look them in the face and not say a thing.

[00:04:45] Or you have someone who gives you a compliment in the airport the other day.

[00:04:50] I was walking and there were two girls on the one side of me and this other girl was coming the opposite direction.

[00:05:02] And we all looked at her. She looked nice.

[00:05:07] And one girl told her she looked nice. And she said nothing back.

[00:05:13] And then they really took offense to it. And she looked like she was in her own world.

[00:05:17] I doubt it was intentional.

[00:05:19] And a lot of times you are. You're in an airport. You're in a hurry most of the time.

[00:05:24] So you're thinking about your destination, not really listening or anticipating someone saying anything to you.

[00:05:31] But let's just take it. Let's just say that. A compliment. Just complimenting someone.

[00:05:39] I was, I believe I was in an airport.

[00:05:44] And this lady told me she liked my earrings.

[00:05:49] And then a few steps later, she told someone she liked something of theirs.

[00:05:55] It's like it was give a compliment day for her.

[00:05:58] But it not only makes the person feel better that you're giving that compliment to,

[00:06:06] but it makes you feel good because you made someone else's day.

[00:06:09] You never know the kind gesture that you can make the impression that it leaves.

[00:06:19] When you are in a, let's say, you're staying in hotels.

[00:06:24] Now, I stay in hotels mainly for work.

[00:06:26] So I don't always leave something.

[00:06:29] I try to at least leave a thank you note, but I don't always leave a tip.

[00:06:33] Unless I'm staying on my own time for a couple of days, not just for an overnight.

[00:06:38] Either way, I try to make sure that I leave something because it's a kind gesture.

[00:06:42] Those people that work in hotels work hard.

[00:06:46] And yet you hear people complain about, oh, we should check in at this time, that time.

[00:06:51] Oh, we should check in earlier. It doesn't take that long.

[00:06:53] I want my room clean.

[00:06:55] So however long I have to wait, I will.

[00:06:59] But I think it's a nice gesture to leave them something as well as van drivers, the hotel drivers,

[00:07:10] any type of shuttle driver that you take.

[00:07:12] It's nice to, even if you just say that simple thank you, but it's nice to give them a dollar or two.

[00:07:21] It's kind.

[00:07:23] It's kind.

[00:07:23] And I just think that we should be much, much kinder to one another, especially in the workplace.

[00:07:31] You hear so many stories.

[00:07:33] I read so many stories and I go through a lot.

[00:07:38] And I see so much where people aren't really kind to one another.

[00:07:43] It's like high school all over again.

[00:07:45] I swear.

[00:07:46] I don't even think high school was that bad.

[00:07:48] Some days you've got people, they get along, but then you've got others.

[00:07:52] They don't, mainly because of biases.

[00:07:54] I mean, people are different.

[00:07:56] You know, you've got different ages, different races, and you have people who have tenure and those who are new.

[00:08:06] And we're all in the same boat.

[00:08:08] We get paid the same day, work the same job.

[00:08:13] And, yeah, it's just insane, the things that I hear and see.

[00:08:22] And, yeah, it's just wild.

[00:08:26] It makes you kind of envy those who work from home because they don't have to put up with that.

[00:08:32] But, yes, being kind should be contagious.

[00:08:40] It should be year-round, not just during the holidays.

[00:08:44] And especially I hear about it in schools with all the bullying going on.

[00:08:49] I'm so glad I came up when I did because now it seems like these kids are, yeah, I mean, they're taking their lives

[00:08:56] because no one is really kind to them and then no one has their back.

[00:09:04] So just think about how you want to be treated.

[00:09:07] I'd love for you to subscribe to my show as well as catch up on my old episodes at thedreya'spointofview.com

[00:09:23] and leave a comment at dreya'spointofview at yahoo.com on what type of things you like to do to be kind.

[00:09:37] As always, I thank you for listening.

[00:09:39] This has been Drea's Point of View.