Anything of the kind; be kind enough; be so kind, five of a kind, in-kind, kind of, nothing of the kind, of one kind or another, anything of the kind, nothing of the kind, be kind enough, be so kind. The uses go on ad-infinitum. Take your choice. The one I’d like to discuss is the kind of way we treat each other.

“Kind” is a word we use every day in the same sense we say we “love” something. Do we really even give it a second glance, much less love?

Take opening and holding the door for an elderly person. Big deal. Why can’t an elderly person who is mobile hold the door for someone younger? For instance, a mother with a baby in her arms and two smaller ones clinging around her legs at the Post Office. Ever thought about that? I am 97 and it doesn’t matter to me how old or young someone is; I have always held a door for someone to go ahead of me. Have we lost our sense of courtesy in the 21st Century?

It is unkind when someone is so hell-bent on beating you to the stoplight down the block that they would rather shoot you than have you get ahead of them.

What is meant when someone is rude and you’re told, “oh, he’s just that kind.” What kind is that?

Does it take a boy scout to help someone who is having difficulty across the street? Do you simply watch if someone falls down and can’t get up? Where did you come from – a cave?

We live in what is generally known as a civil society. Has civil become a trial in a courtroom or are we treating others like crap, pushing to get ahead of them, rather than spending a few seconds to help out?

Common courtesy used to be part of the American way. Today that has taken on a new meaning, like “get outta my way you stupid S.O.B.”

Kindness is not expensive, and actually, it doesn’t cost a red cent. Do you ever offer to help your neighbor in the yard? No big deal, but it might mean a lot to them. Are you the kind who will check up on a neighbor if you don’t see them for a while? Or do you belong to the “Not my problem” ilk?

Kind is more than a word. It is a description with many meanings – all in the manner with which it is connected to our daily life.

As I said earlier, “kindness does not cost anything, and the rewards are bountiful.

What kind are you? Are you kind? Do you live a life of kindness to others? Do you do unto others or are you the kind that “gets them before they get me?” I would hate to go around thinking someone is going to pounce at me out of some dark corner. Truth may be that we’ve stopped treating ourselves kindly.

If you are the right kind, or a kind person – someone will always be there for you – have your back, with a reassuring hand, not a knife in hand, Just sayin’ rustystrait@gmail.com

Ray Strait | Senior Reporter

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