Kindness

I was in line at the check out at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago, and when it was my turn to pay, the cashier said, "Hello" and I responded with my usual, "Hey, how you doing?" - he looked at me a little shocked. "Wow, I can't believe you said 'hi' back?", "Huh?" I said. "Yeah, usually when I say hi to folks, I get silence."

When I got into my car and started the short drive back home, I really thought about the cashier's response to my simple "hi" back. What has happened to us? Are the days gone when people smile at each other?

It's so easy to make someone's day. Maybe if we all said a few more "hello's", we'd have less Cho Seung-Hui's in the world and more G.V. Loganathan's. In my opinion, the best way we can honor those lives that came to an end due to violence, is to be a little kinder to each other.