Simple Acts of Kindness

Last night at Lobby-fest, which is Savannah Day in Atlanta, I was talking to Bob Hurt, principal of Hurt, Norton and Associates, a very prestigious lobbying firm in Washington D. C. Bob represents the Chamber of Commerce, Chatham County and Union Mission at the moment while we look for $2.5 Million during very difficult times. He hosted me in Washington last week as we toured the Capitol, but last night it was more informal as we talked quietly for a moment in the midst of a thousand people.

He told me something that surprised me. I was commenting on how cynical he must be of politics after representing this and that for so many years. He must be after playing the game that balances educating an elected official when so many do not wish to be educated. They already think that they know everything.

Bob has this way of looking like he is reaching for far off thoughts as he talks. He take a few seconds to collect his words before he speaks, cocking his head to the left and looking somewhere inside of himself before he speaks.

"You know Micheal, I often meet with former politicians for lunch or for drinks, and I always ask them what they are most proud of. At first, they tell me about some bridge that was built because of them or some road or building or something. But as we move later into the discussion, they circle back around to the question."

"How so?" I asked.

Cocking his head to the left again, he stares inside of himself again for a second, then looks at me with blazing, captivating eyes.

"They say, you know what I am proudest of? There was this women I helped once. Or there was this family that was reunited. Or it was something that was nothing more than simple acts of human kindness."

I was completely surprised. Simple acts of human kindness?

Then I was swept into the crowd and again, talking to this person or that person. Ron Stephens, Cathy Love, Bill Hubbard, Jason Buelterman, Jared Downs, Glen Jones, and a hundred others. This morning I have a long list of things to do as a result of all of these conversations.

But Bob's story is sticking in my head. For all of this bravado and image projecting that we do. For all of the great things that we rattle off as our proudest accomplishments. What is really important and memorable in life are the times that we are kind to one another.

It sounds so easy but it really is one of the hardest things in life to be consistent about. We get so caught up in ourselves that we forget to be nice. We drive for what we want so hard that we forget to be kind. We project so hard what it is that we want people to think we are that we do not recognize that someone is hurting and could really use a touch.

As the night wore on, I recognized the times that people stopped and expressed kindness to me. Margret Mary Russell. Jane Terry. And Bob Hurt.

Simple acts of kindness. The greatest things are also the hardest things to do.