“Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Mark Twain

Not only is kindness a universal language, it’s also contagious. If you show kindness to another human being, they’re likely to reciprocate.

Here’s a familiar scene: You’re sitting on a plane, looking forward to the peace and quiet the trip will afford and the time you’ll spend reading your book or watching a movie. Suddenly, your anticipated relaxation is punctuated by the screams of a child sitting directly behind you, and you know you’re in for a long flight. The idea of showing kindness to the family responsible for your ruined flight is likely far from your mind.

This was me not so long ago. I was that guy on the plane, frustrated with a family for not controlling their child’s outbursts. I couldn’t spare a single kind thought for the family, and I threw dirty looks with the best of them.

Then I had a child of my own, Alexis, and the time came when we wanted to go on a trip as a family. I didn’t want people upset with my daughter. I understood the frustration of passengers when faced with a screaming toddler in a confined space without anywhere to go, and I wanted to do what I could to keep Alexis entertained and quiet.

I found a few suggestions on how to prepare for when the boredom set in, but not much else. Instead of helpful tips, I found lots of complaints about mean passengers, out of control babies, and uncaring parents. This only validated my concerns, and I decided we’d have to come up with a method of our own.

We packed all sorts of goodies that were sure to entertain Alexis for hours. But we also made little care packages for neighboring passengers. The care packages had two items: a couple of pieces of candy and a pair of earplugs. These were in case Alexis’s screams were out of control.
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I knew the earplugs and candy wouldn’t make a huge difference, but I hoped the gesture would count. And it did. People were most thankful, and the entire flight ended up being great. Not because of the earplugs, but because people were kind to us, and clearly thankful that we’d thought of them. Most of the passengers, at one point or another, interacted with Alexis and us. I could feel the kindness emanating from every single one of them, and it all came from taking a little time to plan for kindness.

There was even an instance when Alexis started to grow restless, and I worried she’d draw dirty looks. But a woman who was sitting nearby picked her up and started talking to her. Alexis stopped crying and seemed to find comfort in her arms.

The woman spoke Polish and Italian, so we couldn’t communicate with her, but she had a great smile that told us she was happy to hold our baby. Alexis ended up staying with her for a good portion of the flight.

In fact, it was our fellow passengers’ smiles that told us we’d done right in bringing the care packages. Without saying a word, they were communicating to us that they cared. And because we’d showed kindness to them, they’d reciprocated with kindness.

A genuine smile given to others can work wonders. Many people are burdened with enormous problems every day, but the smile they receive from someone else is a bright spot. Whether they’re traveling with an infant or in the darkest time of their life, a genuine smile will uplift them tremendously.

But it all starts with you. Treat others with kindness, and they will respond with kindness.

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