This picture reminded me of how the doctors and staff at the Az VA hospital treated my dad always...with dignity and honor. And because my dad was so nice they actually treated him and my family like we were rock stars. Sometimes my dad would wear his world war II hat and honestly at the end when we had to take my dad in a wheel chair (but oh he would sit up so straight) people would just come up and shake my dad's hand and tell him they were grateful for his service. Lots of people knock the VA hospitals but our time there (42 years) was just always top notch and so this is a shout for them!
Thanks so much for this encouraging series of posts about the merits of kindness! I consider kindness to be a big part of my personality, but these days it seems that my kindness is always misinterpreted as naivete, foolishness, or weakness (at work, with friends etc.) I do look younger than I am (am 25, look 18-ish), so often my behaviour oftentimes just gets dismissed as an aspect of my "weak, naive character". On the contrary, I actively try and find the good in everyone I meet, and try not to prejudge or predismiss people (which is often the easier choice to take). It is a hard choice to make to be kind when you are being pre-judged by a more critical majority, but when all is said and done, I'm resolute on the fact that we all have struggles and worries, and I'm not interested in creating an extra unnecessary struggle for someone else..so I think that's just the way that will go.. -Grace
This picture reminded me of how the doctors and staff at the Az VA hospital treated my dad always...with dignity and honor. And because my dad was so nice they actually treated him and my family like we were rock stars. Sometimes my dad would wear his world war II hat and honestly at the end when we had to take my dad in a wheel chair (but oh he would sit up so straight) people would just come up and shake my dad's hand and tell him they were grateful for his service. Lots of people knock the VA hospitals but our time there (42 years) was just always top notch and so this is a shout for them!
ReplyDeleteThis is as true as anything I know.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this encouraging series of posts about the merits of kindness!
ReplyDeleteI consider kindness to be a big part of my personality, but these days it seems that my kindness is always misinterpreted as naivete, foolishness, or weakness (at work, with friends etc.)
I do look younger than I am (am 25, look 18-ish), so often my behaviour oftentimes just gets dismissed as an aspect of my "weak, naive character". On the contrary, I actively try and find the good in everyone I meet, and try not to prejudge or predismiss people (which is often the easier choice to take).
It is a hard choice to make to be kind when you are being pre-judged by a more critical majority, but when all is said and done, I'm resolute on the fact that we all have struggles and worries, and I'm not interested in creating an extra unnecessary struggle for someone else..so I think that's just the way that will go..
-Grace