Be Kind In 1 Simple Step: Say Hello
Today is one of those epic San Francisco summer days.
The Golden Gate Bridge, normally glowing red and vibrant at the end of my street, is completely hidden behind a wall of deep gray fog.
But I know that this bridge is there. Fire truck after fire truck blaze by my apartment heading for the bridge base. Their deafening sirens wailing as I plug my ears on the sidewalk.
My husband calls me from Marin, the other side of the bridge, where has been hiking. He walked by the Mt. Tam fire station and heard the story on their radio.
“It’s a jumper,” he says.
A jumper?
I mull this over, repeating it in my head. My first thought is of a little girl’s dress. Somehow I don’t grasp the seriousness.
Oh. A person. Jumping off the 220 foot bridge.
My heart sinks.
I walk down to the beach so that I can gaze directly at the foggy wall, thinking of that person out there right now. Somewhere in that cold cloud. I feel an overwhelming desire to hug them. To tell them it will be ok.
Instead I hold my breath and pray that those firetrucks do their job. That they arrive swiftly and that this person can know that there is a lot of love in this world for them.
Why Wait?
It makes me think that we tend to save our “I love you’s” and our hugs and our smiles for exceptional days.
For times when things have already been lost or times when everything is so good.
What if we committed every day, every moment, any reason to just be good to one another?
To look somebody in the eye and say hello.
To appreciate that they are there. That they are a person. That we are sharing this moment with them and that matters.
It’s more than just holding open the door. Its acknowledging the humanity of the person with whom we are sharing that doorway.
Sometimes its about moving over for a person to sit next to you on the bus. Saying, “Here. There is space for you in this world. I made it and I want you to be here. By me.”
And sometimes, it’s as easy as just sharing a smile.
Too often we think that supporting others is someone else’s job. What can a stranger do after all?
Yet so much of our lives are spent with people we don’t know. On the bus, on the train, walking down our own street, handing us our coffee.
What if we chose every single one of those moments — those 80, 100, 200 that we have everyday – to look a person in the eye and be grateful for them? To thank them and wish them well?
Think of the millions and billions and trillions of moments everyday that would be filled with love and support. “I’ve got your back, sister.”
So on this foggy San Francisco day, I want you to know that I am writing this to YOU.
Know that I love you, that I care about you, and I am glad that you are here.
All my love + gratitude for you being you,
Cary
