Let’s embrace International Day Of Being Kind To One Another

It seems like every week there is a “World Day of…” or an “International Day of…”.

My friend Theresa recently announced that it was the International Day Of Being Kind To One Another. That same evening, she admitted she had made it up. “But why not?” she asked. “All those other days were suggested by someone in the first place.”

And she’s right. Someone thought it would be a good idea to have a day dedicated to books, or peace, or families. Others thought it a good idea – and it caught on.

So, why shouldn’t Theresa’s idea become as official as any other? But with so many days already officially recognised for one thing or another, which one would be the best one?

Because different people would choose different days why don’t we, in the spirit of the original idea, declare every day as the International Day Of Being Kind To One Another? Centre-stage, a drama group in Kilmarnock, ordered lots of sandwiches for a big event they were having.

Sainsbury’s in East Kilbride baked a large batch of fresh bread.

But the weather meant the drama event had to be cancelled and customers couldn’t get to the supermarket.

Both groups would have been out of pocket and been justified in being upset by the waste.

But, individually, they decided to do something else.

I happened to be there when the sandwiches and the loaves were delivered to the food bank and I saw them being put to very good use.

We can all bemoan our difficulties.

But, sometimes, we can go beyond that and turn a bad thing for us into a good thing for someone else. I saw the car with the boot open. There were a lot of bags and boxes in there. Whoever owned it must be busy, I guessed. But there was no one near the car.

Then I saw the woman, a blanket in her hands, a sense of peace surrounding her, at the other side of the busy road.

Slowly, gently, with calm assurance, she moved forward, then crouched down. She wrapped the blanket around a large injured crow, calmed it, then carried it to her car. I can only assume the next stop was the vet or the RSPB.

That someone would stop by a roadside, with everything else they had to do that day, and take time to care for an injured bird – and not one of the more glamorous birds – well…

I never spoke to her, I don’t know her name, but she is the latest proof I have to offer in my ongoing assertion that people are wonderful. “Want to know the secret of a happy marriage?”

Harry explained he had gone to bed 10 minutes after his sweetheart.

As he lay down he remembered he’d left his book downstairs.

“She asked if she could get it for me.

“Not sure if she was serious, I said, ‘It’s what a good wife would do.’

“When I saw her actually getting up, I said, ‘But, a good husband wouldn’t let her!’

“And I got my own book. You see, she’s willing to put me first, so it’s only fair that I’m willing to put her first.

“We could each put ourselves first, of course.

“That’s called selfishness.

“Doing it for each other, we each still get to be put first, and it’s called a happy marriage!”

I told him that sounded lovely – a happy marriage indeed!