People always tell me I have a nice smile but the fact is I can't stop smiling. Even on my worst days I smile. I don't want to bring anyone else down.
I also rescue pets, talk to plants and bring home photos from estate sales so they can once again have a home. I hate rudeness, especially when driving, and pick up litter.
And yes, I write books with happy endings.
My dad said I was too nice. He was a businessman where being nice in a man's world meant — I'm guessing here — that you were weak and open to being taken advantage of. He said as much, that if I didn't stop being too nice, people were going to walk all over me. He even went as far as uttering that I should get them before they got me.
And the odd thing is, my dad spent his life searching for spiritual fulfillment.
My point on this Tuesday morning is that I didn't then and I don't believe now that anyone can be "too nice." Naive — well, that's another story. But the two are not interchangeable. The world needs nice. It needs love. It needs caring individuals helping one another. The opposite — to borrow a theory from George Lucas — is the dark side.
I'm writing this because we're in the midst of an ugly election and people are not being nice. I urge everyone to stop for a moment and reconsider the importance of simple human kindness. No, it will not allow people to take advantage of you, it will bring people in and who knows what great business deal or networking opportunity you will glean from it. No, it will not show the world you are weak. It takes courage to show kindness, to stand up for the goodness in the world.
Today, I hope you find love, happiness and the answers you are searching for. And I hope you choose kindness. Because being kind is that simple. And you will feel all the better for doing it.