It All Simply Comes Down to Kindness (and Why There's Nothing "Soft" About That)

I walked a couple miles with a friend on March 22 at the Dunwoody High School track. I hadn't been there in ages (I'm the one who used to unicycle there, by the way, but stopped when the new blue surface was installed). I hadn't seen all the trailers with no beautification. I hadn't seen that that lovely plaque and garden that honored the wrestler who had died was gone. I hadn't seen the trash everywhere (I am hoping there was an event the evening before that explains the trash littered everywhere and that this is not the "new normal" at our high school).

This friend of mine had lost his wife to cancer three years ago this May (it had been a fast nine months from diagnosis to burial) and the walk and the trash got me thinking about kindness. Those nine months when my friend's wife (who was my friend also) was progressively sicker had been extraordinary examples of the depths of kindness of human beings as many members of this community rallied together to help this family. Most of all, the kindnesses were small ones, adding up collectively. And I am entirely convinced now that small things matter, positively and negatively, like each water bottle or candy wrapper that was littered around the field and track and collectively made a mess.

And so, when I consider sustainability, kindness ranks high up. That's because the swell of kindness for our fellow beings is what can cause someone to slow down, to notice, to reach out and to make a difference. Oh, sure, it sounds all soft and fuzzy, but really think about this today, if you will. At this age in my life (45), after so many years of pondering the meaning of it all, I am starting to believe that, however basic it may sound, it all simply comes down to kindness.

I ask the kindness question of myself more and more lately. When faced with a situation (traffic, trash, time constraints, cash shortage, you name it), I ask myself, "What would be the kind thing to do?" And you know what? I have found that if I act authentically in response to the question, it is always, without fail, the right decision and good always comes from it. It's just as simple as that.

And so, on our Sustainability Commission agenda today, there is mention of something called The Kindness Committee. My friend Lisa Macy is in charge of it, and it is not something that the City is endorsing since it does not directly relate to the ARC Green Community certification measures. Lisa's mention of it will be brief. She wants to encourage the planting of mailbox gardens in her neighborhood so that more neighbors can meet each other and share with each other. She also wants to encourage a system where neighbor needs and abilities can be matched up so that, for instance, an elderly person can have her bushes trimmed by a teenager willing to do it. This kind of stuff used to happen naturally in communities but doesn't so easily anymore.

Knowing your neighbors increases community safety, walkability, quality of life, and the vitality of the local economy.

If you would like to get involved with Lisa's mailbox garden project or "share and care" initiative, please email her at yogaUSA@earthlink.net. A connected community is more likely to support a walkable, bikable city and community gardens, and yes, those are on the ARC Green Community checklist.

Oh, and by the way, most other cities outside our region are looking at sustainability from the perspective of the triple-bottom-line--economic, environmental and social. Many kindness-related initiatives are built into these city sustainability plans. I'll add some examples in the coming weeks. The ARC Green Community measures are simply a starting point.