"Let us found a society..."

"…that shall be kind alike to all and think more of a girl's inner self and character than of her personal appearance."

This quote by Tri Delta founder Sarah Ida Shaw defines a significant purpose of our organization, and, luckily, ties last week’s post into a neat little bow. And you know how much I love bows.

Sarah Ida (called Sally by her best friend and co-founder Eleanor) knew what she was talking about all the way back in 1888.

Today, however, I’d like to touch on what might possibly be an overlooked word in that quote: kind.

Kind alike to all. To all. Not just to Tri Delta collegians, alumnae and legacies, but to all. Let’s talk about that.

The value of kindness kept popping up for me this week, first on the Today Show. (I’m a huge fan. Watch every morning in lieu of “real” news. Judge me if you like. I also just realized I could write an entire post on how much I love the Today Show.)

Moving on.

The segment posed the question, “Is civility dead?” and discussed everything from our rude use of gadgets to bad behavior on TV. Or, to add my own point, calling people “fatties” in a blog post.

The second time the value of kindness appeared for me this week was at the Creighton Tri Delta chapter’s new member meeting. We had a long discussion on values, character and ideals, and evaluated the concept that each of our personal values links to the values of the Fraternity to create a giving relationship. As the new members discussed their own values, I contemplated mine: integrity, loyalty and kindness.

Finally, Creighton’s Panhellenic officers hosted a viewing of the documentary “Finding Kind,” a movie about a pair of female Pepperdine grads that take a roadtrip to celebrate kindness and work to banish the taunting and bullying that happens in “girl world.” It was an excellent movie and I’ve embedded the trailer below.

Of the incredible points the filmmakers made in “Finding Kind,” one in particular stood out to me: kindness is free. It doesn’t cost anything to have good will toward others and treat them with dignity. Selflessness won’t cost you a dime, but will pay the goodness forward in innumerable ways.

I was lucky enough to experience a random act of kindness just last night. After locking myself out of my apartment building for the millionth time, a couple friends helped me buzz residents in the complex until someone answered. That someone was an elderly man named Mr. Clem Crowley. It was midnight, but he was the only person that took the time to answer the call, put on his shoes and make his way to the lobby to let me in. I was not only grateful to get in out of the November cold, but also that he saw me as worthy of his kindness.

This week, I’ve challenged myself to reflect Mr. Crowley’s kindness to all I meet. I hope to make Sarah Ida proud and simply to add a little happiness in someone’s day.

Will you do the same?

The “Finding Kind” trailer: