Kindness Doesn’t Need a Receipt EP 428

Welcome to your Daily Dose of Hope. I’m Phyllis Nichols.

My friend Donita shared something in her weekly email that I loved, and I wanted to pass it along to you.

She’s a professor who really loves her work. But recently, she had a rough week. She was doing what a lot of us do when things are hard. Showing up, powering through, and trying not to let everyone see how much she was carrying.

On one of those particularly hard days, a student told her that on the mornings they have class, she wakes up and announces to her roommate, “It’s Intro to Business day!”

Imagine finding out that something you do is a part of someone’s day they actually look forward to.

The student had no idea what kind of week Donita was having. She wasn’t trying to cheer her up. She was simply sharing how much she enjoyed the class.

And it landed right where Donita needed it.

Donita said she kept thinking about that moment. It made her want to be that moment for someone else. A real smile. An interested question. Taking the time to listen to the whole answer.

Then she shared this line: “Kindness doesn’t need a receipt.”

I love that.

We don’t always get to know what happened after we offered a kind word. Did the person think about it later? Did it help them get through something? Did they tell someone else?

Most of the time, we have no idea.

But we can still say the thing.

If you appreciate someone, tell them. If their work makes your life easier, let them know. If you look forward to seeing them, don’t assume they already know that.

I think sometimes we keep those thoughts to ourselves because they seem small. Surely that person knows they’re good at what they do. Surely someone else has told them.

Maybe. But today, they might need to hear it from you.

Who comes to mind? Send the text. Say it on your way out. Take thirty seconds to share something kind and true.

You don’t need proof that it mattered before you offer it.

Let’s keep building hope, one kind word at a time.