Today was supposed to be another post on athletic wear, however in light of the violence our nation is facing, our minds are just not focused on fashion. And, from the many FB posts this morning, I don’t think yours is either. As we sit here and reflect on what we can do ourselves to stop this insanity, I thought back to yesterday and something that happened, which was so simple and yet so relevant and inspiring. Eva was going to write this post focused on battling summer boredom, however we think it is better served as a small nugget of wisdom for today.
As is the case often with 12 year old girls, boredom sometimes creeps into hanging-out times. It was hot yesterday in Denver, and Eva and one of her BFFs had exhausted building Legos and playing video games. They were trying to think of something to do and Eva’s friend came up with an idea – “let’s leave nice notes for people on their doorsteps”. Of course, there was a bit of “ding, dong, ditch” type of fun added into idea in the form of the girls hiding to see people’s reactions after they left the note and rung the doorbell. However, I quickly gave permission as we can all use a kind word or inspiring message in our day.
Eva received a cute bo
ok for her birthday from another BFF that holds inspiring messages; she quickly retrieved it and they began using it as inspiration to write messages in bright, vibrant colors such as “never let anyone dull your sparkle” or “don’t tell me the sky is the limit; there are footsteps on the moon” (two of Eva’s favorites). They then made little scrolls of the messages and tied them with a bright pink ribbon. They spent about an hour creating these cute messages, and then set out to deliver them despite the 90 degree+ heat.
Last night, when I asked how it went, Eva immediately recounted watching a Mom answer the door with two small children. The Mom exclaimed “how nice this is and what a cute idea.” The two little children were so excited. This was what stuck with Eva the most. She will always remember how spreading kindness brings joy to the the bearer and the receiver.
This morning, I felt it important to talk to Eva about the violence that is occurring in the past week in our country (and for that matter, the world). It was an opening to a conversation that I feel we need to continue to have – not to scare her, but to bring awareness of how we can each think about our contribution to making the world better. Eva’s immediate response was “that is scary.” When I asked her what we can do as individuals to stop this madness, she responded “be nice to people.” Oh, from the mouths of Babes. “But what about if we are angry, Eva?” “Then they should talk to each other and not resort to violence.” Be Kind. Talk to One Another. Simple, right? Maybe it really is.
We all get mad. We all get disgusted. For me, when I act during a time of high emotion and anger, I am always sorry. The same is true for Eva. It has gotten so easy to be angry in our society- we can act on anger now without even confronting someone as we hide behind our computer screen. Which leads to more anger. Which provides fuel, and then leads to actual confrontation. Which leads to more violence.
So, Glitter Girls, what can we do? We would love to hear from you on what we can do – let’s make a list and publish it – add a word or a phrase on Instagram, Facebook or here on our post. Let’s together share how we can work together to spread kindness and stop violence. Here is one to get us started.
- Kindness Cures
Add yours. We will post all of your ideas next week in a special post. Remember – we must be the CHANGE we want to see.
xo,
Hilary and Eva