Kindness wins

Today’s start played out like this. My younger son Secundus, who is in an advanced English program at the local university, had to be at the university by 8 a.m. My older son contrary to his normal behavior slept in. Having made breakfast and put it on the table, biscuits and condiments, I wanted decaf coffee. None was available at home because I brew Kenyan Roast MAXIMUM caffeine for my wife and oldest son each morning. Primus’s teacher’s view this as a fair alternative to his sleeping through hour one and two.

The oversleeping by Primus derailed the well oiled machine of ritual. Confusion and kafuffle ensued. He was rousted while Secundus was already in the car. Primus was decked in rain gear and sent on his way by foot to the high school. Luckily we live close. I was dropped off at the coffee shop about 14 minutes walk from my office. Wife and Secundus sped off to pick up my son’s mate who is in the class with him and who also needed to be at the U by 8 a.m.

Once inside the coffee shop, that place of rich aromas I ordered my coffee. I added skim milk to this hot brown water. I stepped outside ready for the day. At that moment the rain was beginning to fall somewhat harder. Looking about because I was carrying an unopened umbrella, a brief case and a cup of coffee I placed the coffee on a ledge by the door and commenced to open the umbrella. Right then someone else exited and the vibration caused to coffee to jump off the ledge. As the paper cup hit the ground it exploded spilling hot decaf on my walking shoes. Distracted by free fall of Biggby’s best decaf my focus was on the ground and I missed the oncoming tine of my umbrella. The expanding umbrella poked me in the eye causing me to flinch and almost lose my balance.

Wet with ran and coffee I refolded the umbrella and picked up the empty cup and its now distended lid. I walked back in the store refilled and got a new lid. I walked back out and commenced the walk into my office.

It was only after I crossed the large and busy intersection situated between the coffee shop and the path to my office I realized the cup had been damaged and the lid would not stay on and was not preventing the hot coffee from dripping onto my hand every so often. Youch. Despite wanting desperately to sip some hot coffee for the cold rain had picked up I couldn’t because the lid would pop off and the contents would pour out on my garments. So on I trudged grimacing at each uneven spot on the sidewalk as coffee dripped onto my hand.

By the time I reached work the coffee was cold. Ugh. I threw the cup in the micro warmed it and put it into a real cup I have at my desk.

The only thing that made it all better was opening my e-mail and finding a daily inspirational blurb from my Buddhist magazine. I attach the blurb here. Reading such an affirming piece was like a cosmic kiss on the boo boo that was the day’s start.

During a lecture while I was interpreting for the Dalai Lama, he said in what seemed to me to be broken English, “Kindness is society.” I wasn’t smart enough to think he was saying kindness is society. I thought he meant kindness is important to society; kindness is vital to society; but he was saying that kindness is so important that we cannot have society without it. Society is impossible without it. Thus, kindness IS society; society IS kindness. Without concern for other people it’s impossible to have society.

– Jeffrey Hopkins, "Equality"

No matter the rushing, the spilt coffee and the general aggravation I feel today I have vowed to say please and thank you and to offer an empathetic ear. Kindness wins out over mere aggravation.