Be Kind

In a seemingly self-driven, self-involved world, it's heart-warming to know there are still people who care. Michael and I watched the movie "The Blind Side" last night and we both sobbed through it's entirety, at the kindness and faith a family demonstrates towards a complete stranger.

It's hard for me to watch the news before I go to bed, because most of it is negative, sad or depressing and I absorb it like a sponge. I often find myself wondering, has the world gone mad?

In 1999, I started working at CGI as a receptionist, my first real job in business out of University and my mentor and boss Morlene must have believed in me. She suggested I meet with Oliver, Director of a new and huge project, which involved spending the next year and a half getting the company certified for ISO 9001 standards. I had no experience but quickly learned what my role would encompass. I took many internal auditing courses and during a training session in Saskatchewan, I learned something that is now etched in my brain forever. The instructor mentioned that it is always important to treat people with kindness, because you never know what kind of day they are having. He cited an example of an auditor prying for information in a negative way during an internal audit at the B.C. office, and how the staff member burst into tears as her mother had just passed away. As Amanda Marshall sings, everybody's got a story that will break your heart.

"Now who can read the mind

Of the red-headed girl next door
Or the taxi driver who just dropped you off or the
Or the classmate that you ignore
Don't assume everything on the surface is what you see
'Cause that classmate just lost her mother
And that taxi-driver's got a Ph.D"

There is a section in The Toronto Star that I enjoy reading and it is comforting to know that good deeds do exist. There is no greater joy in life than giving to someone who needs you. "Acts of Kindness" allows readers to submit their stories of thanks and gratitude.

Have a wonderful Sunday, readers! :)