June
first is a big day. Did you know it is “Say Something Nice” Day? It’s also Donut
Day, World Milk Day, Go Barefoot Day, Leave the Office Earlier Day, and Fish
and Chip Day.
It
wouldn’t be hard to observe it all. Just order fish and chips, a donut, and
a glass of milk for lunch, then leave the office early and spend the rest of
the day barefoot. For many of us, it’s saying something nice that creates a
challenge.
Say
Something Nice Day began in Charleston, South Carolina,
when the mayors of Charleston and North Charleston came together with church
leaders to create a day to be kind to the special people in our lives. It can
be a day to remember and celebrate people who provide us with a variety of
services such as bus drivers, healthcare workers, and teachers. It’s also an opportunity
to apologize to people we have wronged. The aim is to fight against unkindness,
bullying, and the lack of politeness dominating society. Its creators hope this
one day of pleasantness will grow until people are kind to each other every day.
They hope parents will lead the way and set an example by encouraging their
children to be nice to each other.
I’ve heard teachers say they can
tell how children are spoken to at home by the words that come out of their
mouths and the tone in which they are delivered. Like most parents, I could
have done much better at encouraging my kids when they were little. Still
could. But my heart felt warmed recently when my daughter told me a story about
her two-and-a-half year-old, Linus. His little buddy was struggling to walk
through some tall grass when she overheard Linus say, “Wow, you’re doing a
great job!”
Linus was repeating the words and the
tone he hears from his mom every day. He has no reason to choose any other sort.
Lots of kids hear “the other sort” all too often, and sometimes to exclusion.
Can they learn to say kind and encouraging words? Can YOU, if you were not
blessed with this type of heritage?
Anything can be learned, with
practice, at any age. But it won’t come easy.
The Bible says the tongue is the
hardest force to tame. “It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest
fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our
speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation,
send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from
the pit of hell.” (James 3:5-6, The Message)
These days, we are more likely to
say things through our written words on social media where our words—helpful or
harmful—can be seen by the whole world. Permanently! I have a long way to go in
this area. Caustic sarcasm is right there, especially when I’m miffed or not
feeling good about myself in the moment. Jumping in to express a less than well
thought-out opinion or to get a laugh can be so tempting.
On June first, let’s practice
together, shall we? Kind and encouraging words only. And whether we succeed on
that day or blow it, let’s start again on June second. And so on.
Maybe we could even reward
ourselves with a do
nut!
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