Kindness Should Begin At Home

Day 310

My husband took a good spill this morning when walking to get the paper. Rain in the middle of the night, then freezing temperatures created a driveway that looked like a skating rink. So top on our list of to do's was to get additional salt and sand.

When we arrived at the hardware store it was apparent that many folks were in the same boat, as we grabbed the last four bags of salt available. Just as we were about to pay, a woman came complaining about her icy walkway and was told that the salt was sold out. My husband and I looked at each other and decided we could make do with less, and gave her two of our four. She was grateful, as was the woman running the store, since it was one less person she would have to break the news to that they were out of salt for the day.

At home it was a team effort-my husband and I, our sons and their friend who had stayed over- to get our very long driveway salted and sanded. After completing the job, we came in for lunch and also to look at my husband's elbow, the one he landed on when he fell this morning. From the swelling, it was apparent that a trip to the emergency room was in order.

He insisted he could drive himself, and I let him, rationalizing the boys had a friend over and the logistics of getting him home and our boys somewhere other than home alone would be complicated. I did suspect, somewhere in the back of my mind, that letting him drive might not be the kind thing to do.

So when I got the call to pick him up at the hospital because his elbow was broken and he was told driving was out of the question, I had to stop and think about this commitment I have made to kindness. Perhaps in the future, I can focus on kindness to family as well kindness to strangers.