Be kind. That is all.

Sign of substance
London, ON
January 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As another workweek dawns, some of us will be lucky enough to return to work.

Others won't be.

Teachers like my wife will do their best to teach in virtual classrooms that they have miraculously pulled together with duct tape and twine, while students will do their best to learn in ways they and their parents often struggle to understand.

Healthcare workers will wrestle with an invisible enemy on the front lines, while politicians - assuming they aren't trying to keep their tropical beach vacations under the radar - will stand in front of cameras and try to tell their stories to citizens increasingly tired of listening.

We are each responsible for navigating ourselves and those closest to us through this chaotic chapter in history in the safest possible manner.

There are no set methods to do this. No script. No rulebook.

But however we choose to manage ourselves through this seemingly endless turbulence, I hope you'll keep the message, found on this sign beside a nearby school, in mind.

Kindness matters.

Of course it mattered before last March. And it'll matter every day until whatever this is is deemed over and done with. And then for every day thereafter.

But the then doesn't matter so much as the now.

And now, today, we must be kind. We must try harder to be kind. We must pay closer attention to those around us, look out for them, and be prepared to speak up, and act, and reach out to them when they falter.

We must make kindness our mantra as we strive to keep hope alive.

Please keep this top of mind as you move through your week. And beyond.

Thank you.

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