So I’m at a slight disadvantage on the topic of raising strong ladies and kind gentlemen as I’m not ACTUALLY a parent, but as the “honorary auntie” of at least a half dozen small children currently in my life, I take my child rearing duties pretty seriously. It’s got to be scary as heck to bring a kid into this World these days. With outside influences like TV, internet, social media, & the presence of bullying & cyber bullying being so much more of an issue than I can ever remember it being when I was young, you almost feel like you’re starting off with both hands tied behind your back. But just because the struggle is real doesn’t mean we give up. No, we soldier on, move forward, instill values, manners, ideals and hope, pray & maybe do a little rain dance to ensure that our kids don’t turn into little assholes. 

    One of the most import life lesson I learned was from my Second Grade teacher Mrs. Brady. It’s something I take with me to this day. Five words put together to form a very simple mantra: Be Kind, & Work Hard”. That sentiment set me up for life. It’s not a difficult concept.    

     Be kind: treat others as you’d like to be treated. Show some grace. Have empathy when someone is having a bad day. Just be nice to be nice. It’s so easy to get sucked into the vortex of negativity that exists in our day to day lives. Everywhere we look, from the the Television to the magazine covers in the supermarkets, the message of kindness gets lost. We spend so much time tearing each other down and focusing on the things that make us different that sometimes it’s actually easier to just marinate in your own bubble of nasty rather than fight through to the kindhearted place of acceptance. But going for good is always the right thing to do. Kindness is always the better option. It’s always the Winner. Like the saying goes, “you get farther with honey than you do with vinegar”, you get will always go farther by being kind and compassionate than by being a grouchy pain-in-the ass. 

    Now part II of Mrs. Brady’s mantra: Work Hard. Working hard is hard work…it makes sense if you think about it. But really it’s not. You just do your best. Give it your all, 100% of yourself as much as you possibly can. And do in it in every aspect you can. Work hard in your job, but also work hard at home. Be a good spouse, a good friend, a committed plant owner. Just do whatever you do with conviction. Trust me, I get that there are times when you don’t have the energy, stamina or wherewithal to give everything you have, but if you work hard to just try & do your best each day, and give what you know in your heart you can afford to give, you’ll feel really good. And that’s where the kindness comes back around. It’s so much easier to be kind when you know you’ve worked hard. Not everyone does it, but if they did, can you imagine what this World could become? That thought right there is just “the good stuff”.