The other day I was running my usual route and a woman pulled her car out of a business park driveway and blocked my path. The instant she saw me approaching she pulled her car back, allowing me room to continue running on the sidewalk instead of into the street to get around her. I smiled. Waved thanks as I passed in front of her car. She smiled and waved back. Felt nice, made the rest of my run less jarring, lighter somehow. Simple really, but oh, what a simple little kindness can do…

Most every day someone does something kind; lets us into their lane on the highway; opens a door, holds an elevator; Likes our update or post; simple acts of kindness that personify our potential for goodness. And while this may seem small on the surface, the residual effects of these displays of caring build trust, connecting us to each other, reminding us we are not invisible but valued, and giving us hope in our humanity.

We hear about the bad all the time. We hear about the good, too, but on the large scale, like doctors going to Nepal after the quake, or philanthropic superstars and their latest causes. But it’s really the little acts of kindness that unite us, everyday simple actions that show we care for one another, and the world we inhabit, that build a solid foundation for our race to thrive.

What simple act of caring did you give or receive today?

Please SHARE the act of kindness here in comments, and exchange a little hope…