I am CuTRis

I was at Aldi, returning my cart when a Somali guy was pulling on the carts. Of course, they wouldn't come loose--and I told him you need a quarter to get a cart. Then he walked away, like he wasn't sure what he should do. So I asked him if he needed a quarter and gave him mine. He smiled and thanked me. It was an easy choice to help, because it was the opposite of what Donald Trump would do, especially for an immigrant. If you don't like what our president stands for, do the opposite of what he does, and fill the world with acts of kindness. Feel free to talk about these acts of kindness, so that we can counteract the negativity that is currently staining our world.

I call my mom everyday to check on her. So yesterday when I couldn't get a hold of her, and my brother wasn't able to either, I went over there and fortunately she was just fine and surprised to see me. I soon found that her phone wasn't working. In fact, none of them were. So I called CenturyLink and the automated system took me through a big long thing and I finally made an appointment for the next morning. Then, the same system, connected me to a customer service agent somewhere offshore. Then I had to do the same thing over again. It was now rush hour and I wanted to get on the road and get back home to make dinner. But none of this was fast or efficient. I know my sister-in-law used to work customer service for CenturyLink, and then they laid everybody off and now it's all offshore. So today, a technician went over there and he checked everything out and concluded that there was something amiss in their (central) equipment, so he was unable to fix it. When he calle...

The end of the schoolyear has been stressful for teachers--especially with READ Act. My (art teacher) wife has been studying and testing... So, today when a kindergartener girl brought her flowers, she was so touched by the gesture, that she sent me a picture of the two white clover flowers (she put) in a tiny bud vase. Sometimes it's the little things that matter.

Last evening, I had a message waiting for me from my aunt Sharon. It was a link to an obituary for my younger cousin. He passed earlier in the week. I have to admit, that sometimes I'm bombarded with so many messages that it's hard to get through all of them. And the Facebook posts that are shares and resends get to be too much and eventually I turn them off. But this message was important. And it kind of brought a few things back into perspective. I've been dealing with an upcoming job change that has been forced upon me. I didn't realize that when I saw my cousin Jason last month at my dad's funeral, that that would be the last time I would talk to him. How would any of us know that he would die unexpectedly a month later? But yet it happened. In between all of that, we had an election and another outcome that will thrust change upon us. We live in a high-paced, ever-changing world. And it seems as though people are growing meaner and more impatient. Perhaps when...

One of our neighbors went to thank the police for doing a good job keeping our neighborhood safe, so police and fire offered to come and visit. Tonight was the night! They came with police cars and fire trucks, and soccer balls and popsicles for the kids. It's awesome when people are kind to each other and build positive connections.

It's unfortunate and also a bit interesting, that some of the most supposedly politically correct people, are only such in very narrow parameters. It seems that while currently, some people hold African-American Rights in high esteem, and you can't say anything negative about an overweight person, or a gay person, these same people have no problem cutting down Muslims, making jokes about short people, and making bald jokes. I'm still waiting for the day when everyone gets equal treatment, no one is singled out, and there are a lot fewer hypocrites.

As we try to teach our children about being kind, it seems that a lot of adults never learned this important skill. Or, maybe it's just too easy and alluring to some people, to become an Internet bully and reach out and hurt someone through social media. I have left the second Facebook group I ever joined, for the same reason I left the first. The conversation deviated from the group's subject, and it spawned attacks and bullying. I marvel at how viscous people can get behind the wheel of an automobile, and the ease of social media has created a bunch of adult bullies. My most recent transgression, was asking others to stop attacking each other. I know this was a risk on my part, but it is quite possibly the same thing I would have done if we were all in the same room face to face. Please be kind. There is too much hate and hurt. People who are hurting, are more likely to hurt others. We should be perpetuating joy and goodness instead.

I would like to challenge everyone to do something nice for someone. It has come to my attention that Americans are not very nice to each other. They are intolerant of views that differ from their own. Now is the right time to begin a different trend. Be nice. Do a kindness for someone and if it feels good, do it again tomorrow.