16th of February

“If you treat people right they will treat you right... ninety percent of the time.”

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

I think this is largely true... an extension of the “do unto others...” mode. It is an excellent rule to live by, overall. But that other ten percent of the time can be damn tricky. 

When you have generally treated someone well, have taken care to be thoughtful, and maybe even gone out of your way to do something nice for them, but they come back at you with less-than-kindness, let alone basic courtesy, then it is all too easy to want to roll right into righteous anger... to rail, mentally, at the unfairness of it all. This sounds rather dramatic, yes... because it is. A good head of steam doesn't allow much time for reflection and levelling off. 

Righteous Anger is problematic, at best. More likely it is a poison that eats at you from the inside... or worse still, becomes a habit, a readily available reaction. So, try to allow for that ten percent of unreciprocated kindness. Understand that someone may just be having a bad moment or not be at their best.... try to take it in stride, and hold your tongue in the moment.

Be kind, consistently, to all. Enjoy the incredible feeling that comes from this practice. 

Be they accurate, the numbers are pretty good after all. If I consistently treat people well, I can look forward to at least 6.3 good days out of every 7. That ain't half-bad.

the Keeper (word to think about/keep with me for a bit): 

“Kindness” - n. The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.

I hope to continually treat people as well as I am able, to be as kind as I know how, and to not expect anything particular in return. May I be understanding and tolerant of those who, for whatever reason, cannot reciprocate kindness at a certain moment.