Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness. ~Seneca

Times are tough in school districts right now.  I am not interested in debating why that is or what we should do about it.  What I am interested in though, is how people seem to be treating people during such a difficult time.  People are going to lose their jobs.  People I think highly of.  People whose calling it is to be in a classroom teaching children.  People, who unfortunately, are being treated with less than the kindness they deserve.

Stranger still, is that the unkindness is coming from those around them.  Those who share a copier and lunchroom. Those who struggle with the same challenges and celebrate the same successes.  Those who, in the not so distant past, faced the same uncertainty.

I am going to assume, in the interest of optimism, that the unkindness is not being done deliberately.  I want to believe that if they understood the sadness and hurt their words caused, they would never have said them or would apologize for them.  I hope I am right.

So, it is with that, I am going to try and follow old Seneca's advice and when I come across a human being, whether I know them well or not, I am going to try and exercise kindness and be thoughtful about what I say before I say it.  It is hard to not think of ourselves and how we will be impacted by whatever is coming down the road and I am not saying that we shouldn't consider ourselves. But, I do think it is important to understand the weight of our words...whether they are kind or not.  We are all too important not to.