We Need Kindness Now

Regardless of your political persuasion, I'll bet you can agree with me that we need a little kindness in the world right now.  Every morning I open my news apps with trepidation.  I know that I need to be informed, that I need to see the reality of what's happening in the world, but the truth is, I'd rather not know.

And yet I've realized it's important to face the difficulties of the world in order to figure out where the help I can give is best placed.  This is also what drives me as a teacher.  I know I can spread positivity in the world, and where better than with the future difference-makers?

Yet at this time of year I find myself getting a little down about it.  It's the end of the school year and I'm tired, the students are tired, my children are tired.  And when I get tired, I turn into the gumpiest, most impatient woman on the planet...or at least in South Carolina.

And yet the world finds a way of bringing me back to hope...

Yesterday I attended our school's graduation excercises.  I always look forward to them as I'm a sentimental, nostalgic type and I love seeing the kids transition from what they've always known to that for which they will be known.  But this year was extra sweet for me.

I teach a creative writing independent study, a class limited to four students who choose to write a novel, a short story collection, a poetry collection, or a play/screenplay.  It's a tall order--especially for second semester seniors--so I usually end up with the kids who have been waiting for a reason to have to find time to write creatively.  This year I worked with two novelists and two poets.  You should probably make note of their names, as I'm certain the world will be blessed with their writing quite soon.

Katherine, Sophie, Louisa, and Jacob gathered around me after their graduation, when their peers were heading to the cafeteria for cake or taking pictures with family.  They had two large reusable grocery bags containing five boxes, and they were so excited it was barely containable.

They had created for me what has to rank as one of the best gifts I've ever received.

Inside the boxes was a tea set.  Each writer had painted a teacup and saucer that illustrated some element of their writing.  Katherine's teacup featured a pair of eyes staring at me, a la The Great Gatsby, eyes being pivotal to the characterization in her novel, a fantasy surrounding specially enabled humans and a mysterious and (hopefully) misunderstood stranger.  Sophie's depicted a cat on a windowsill and a school bus to remind me of her book of poetry, a glimpse through the eyes of several students who were experiencing the same events with different emotional responses.  Louisa's was painted rainbow because each of her poems focused on a different emotion, and Jacob's was covered with a passage from Deuteronomy, a chill-inducing moment from his Jason Bourne-esque novel.  The crowning piece was a teapot featuring the title character from the novel I had worked on with them, Miranda.

They had gathered at a local pottery studio after exams to make these pieces for me.  That's right, four high school seniors, during the week when many of their peers go on beach vacations and throw last minute celebrations, had spent an afternoon painting pottery for their teacher.  Wow.

So today I feel better about the world.  Because these four stand as examples of the kindness that is on its way.  These creative, intelligent, compassionate minds are making their way into the world and are determined to share their voices in it.

So when you look at the news and feel the anxiety I share, let your heartbeat slow and your breathing regulate.  The future's looking mighty bright indeed.