Thanks, Robin, for sharing your experiences with local community. LOVE to hear of that kind of rally. You have inspired me to reach out to my local supervisors and pitch something similar - why not, right?
I’ve been humbled by how kind and generous most people are when I’m out walking with my baby - and I wish that everyone could experience that even when they don’t have a cute infant in tow.
One example is that I recently had to go to urgent care for myself and didn’t have any backup childcare, so I had to bring my son, but one of the nurses sweetly offered to hold my baby, and played with him while I got my vitals checked.
Another time, A stranger at a grocery store I helped me put my groceries away when she saw I was alone with the baby. I wonder if maybe some of these people used to have young children, so they can more easily tap into their empathy? But it’s definitely night and day from when I’m out and about alone.
This is so important, I'm glad to read this today. In the town where I live, there's been a lot of divisiveness and a similar kind of grumpy-by-default that you're describing - people are unsure and assuming they'll have negative interactions with their neighbors. Politics, pandemic wariness, arguing online but not getting to know each other in person. But our mayor and a few others held a "Rally" the other day - and plan to hold more - just for the purpose of positivity and kindness. They aim to keep it non-partisan (although they did speak of a school bond that many have been arguing about). Speakers talked about what they love about our community, wore 'be kind' shirts, praised each other and petted everyone's dogs. Just walking into that small gathering (that we hope will grow) it lifted my spirits and reminded me that there are many who want to be kind and joyful with each other. I am hopeful things like this will shift the balance here and build a "hometown" politeness for us.
Thanks, Robin, for sharing your experiences with local community. LOVE to hear of that kind of rally. You have inspired me to reach out to my local supervisors and pitch something similar - why not, right?
I’ve been humbled by how kind and generous most people are when I’m out walking with my baby - and I wish that everyone could experience that even when they don’t have a cute infant in tow.
One example is that I recently had to go to urgent care for myself and didn’t have any backup childcare, so I had to bring my son, but one of the nurses sweetly offered to hold my baby, and played with him while I got my vitals checked.
Another time, A stranger at a grocery store I helped me put my groceries away when she saw I was alone with the baby. I wonder if maybe some of these people used to have young children, so they can more easily tap into their empathy? But it’s definitely night and day from when I’m out and about alone.
This is so important, I'm glad to read this today. In the town where I live, there's been a lot of divisiveness and a similar kind of grumpy-by-default that you're describing - people are unsure and assuming they'll have negative interactions with their neighbors. Politics, pandemic wariness, arguing online but not getting to know each other in person. But our mayor and a few others held a "Rally" the other day - and plan to hold more - just for the purpose of positivity and kindness. They aim to keep it non-partisan (although they did speak of a school bond that many have been arguing about). Speakers talked about what they love about our community, wore 'be kind' shirts, praised each other and petted everyone's dogs. Just walking into that small gathering (that we hope will grow) it lifted my spirits and reminded me that there are many who want to be kind and joyful with each other. I am hopeful things like this will shift the balance here and build a "hometown" politeness for us.