As we journey through the holiday season and prepare for 2025, I cannot think of a better word to keep at the forefront of our thoughts and actions in the new year than one single word: Kindness. I have been fortunate to be involved in a recent campaign highlighting the need for and focus on kindness here in Kewaunee County. The name of this initiative is “Kindness at Work in Kewaunee County.”
I don’t think anyone doesn’t know what kindness is or what it looks like, but we sometimes struggle to apply it consistently. Kindness is one of those actions that is easy when it's easy but hard when it's not. It's easy to be kind to those who are kind to us. It is easy to be kind to those we know well. It is easy to be kind when that kindness benefits us somehow. Now for the hard part. To be kind to those who may have wronged us. To be kind to those who are strangers. To be kind when that kindness may be a detriment to our current state of comfort. To be kind when the person isn’t like us in appearance or beliefs.
An important part of encouraging kindness is to identify what it is and, at the same time, what it is not. Kindness is empathy, compassion, patience, tolerance, and acceptance, to name a few. What it is not is the abandonment of your own personal beliefs, values, or expectations for the sake of appeasement. We can be kind while respectfully disagreeing with each other. We can be kind while still holding others accountable for their actions. We can be kind while safeguarding and preserving our own physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being.
Kindness, at its core, is about personal connections and those connections fostering meaningful relationships. As in any relationship, it must be a mutual effort. Kindness fosters positive interactions. The reciprocation of kindness is the goal, but even when that kindness is not returned, we must guard ourselves of becoming hardened in heart. Much like forgiveness, the true benefactor of kindness is not the person we are extending it to, but rather ourselves. It’s a strange yet proven fact. Give kindness, and it will be returned, but even if it is not, give it nonetheless, and the rewards to your own well-being and state of mind will be immeasurable.
Look forward to more great opportunities to show kindness in Kewaunee County as this initiative grows to make our community an even greater place to live and work. If this initiative interests you and you would like to learn more, please feel free to contact Human Services Director Melissa Annoye or myself for more information. We are always looking for new committee members and would welcome any additional insight into how to encourage and highlight works of kindness here in Kewaunee County!
