Will B.

‘The best things in life are free,’ is most likely a well-known saying, but what are these things? For me, some of the ‘bests’ are kindness, compassion, manners, hugs and a smile to name just a few.

It’s hard to understand why some people can’t just be kind and show a little compassion to those they run into in the course of a day. There are lots of reasons why we could be mean or grumpy but that doesn’t mean we need to spread that negativity to others. It’s a choice to be kind and takes just as much energy to be nice as it does to be rude or mean. In fact, I believe it is easier to be kind.

One of the things I love about the new generation is in general they care about those around them and about where we are headed. The Millennials and Gen Z have paved the way for even the hardest men to show emotion now. When I was growing up, being nice was just something connected to having good manners, but now kindness and being nice is more of a movement or at least that is what I see in the younger generations and it has leached into the other generations as well.

I am not saying other generations are mean or unkind but the generation I came from believed boys don’t cry or show emotions. For the most part, I say we can be a strong male influence and still show emotion.

So back to the best things in life are free. Kindness is at the top of my list; being kind to those you meet in the course of a day can have a huge impact. It causes a chain reaction much the same way as someone being negative does. It’s just human nature, I suppose, to pass on what is passed to us, but it doesn’t have to be this way if we strive to break the chains of someone being negative and replace it with kindness.

A smile is free and it is something that does make a big impact on someone’s day even if you don’t see the impact of the simple gesture.

Manners are free and if we can’t at least be kind every minute then at least be well mannered. Good manners is another one of those actions that can improve someone’s day a great deal and it too is something that spreads from person to person. Open a door for someone, say ‘please,’ ‘thank you’ and maybe even have a polite conversation with someone.

One thing at the top of my list is hugs. Almost everyone loves a good hug. There are exceptions, but a good hug can immediately transform a bad day into a good day. Let’s be better humans.

This is Will B saying, give a hug or smile today and spread some free joy!