Fill Our Conversations With Kind Words
By Crystal Kemp
Chief Marketing Officer, Conway Corp.
“Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers,
Kind deeds are the fruits, Take care of your garden And keep out the weeds,
Fill it with sunshine, Kind words, and Kind deeds.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I’ve started this note several times. I’ve been thinking about how much our words matter. But I really haven’t been sure how to share that in a way that communicated all I want to communicate.
On the heels of the weirdest winter storm I’ve ever seen in Arkansas, and a couple of days that feel like spring, I decided on these words from Longfellow, “Kind words are the flowers…”
I want to challenge us as we enter the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 response in our communities, businesses and homes to remember to fill our conversations with kind words. We are going to need each other as much now as we have over the past 12 months.
Back in September, I shared this chart with you. https://www.samhsa.gov/dtac/recovering-disasters/phases-disaster
The chart shows us at a stage of working through grief as we enter a phase of reconstruction. My hope is that we will cheer each other on through this time. We have and we can continue to do hard things. Let’s do them with as much kindness to one another as we can muster!
When my children were in school, I sent notes in their lunch every day. When they reached high school, I would occasionally catch grief for still packing their lunch. Sure, they could pack their own lunch, but it was something I wanted to do. In the middle of their day, no matter how good or bad it was going, they were going to know they were loved and they were going to read some encouraging words.
Last March, when we sent employees home to work remotely, I made cards to send to them. In recent weeks, when it was easy to see the stress a winter storm was putting on my workload, I was on the receiving end of encouraging words. Every email and text message mattered. I took screen shots that I have looked back at several times – that’s how much that one sentence to say, “I figure you are having a stressful day but I appreciate you.” matters.
Words matter. You matter. We can make a difference for our communities and our companies.
Last month, ACA Connects hosted a webinar “Understanding the American Electorate and its Impact on Politicians in Policy” – An ACA CONNECTS Members-Only Discussion with National Pollster and Political Expert Frank Luntz.
I loved how he closed out the webinar with these words, “The most powerful word in the English language is imagine. Imagine if… Use it.”
Imagine if we approach the hard conversations with kindness. Imagine if we send that text just to encourage. Imagine if we take those couple of minutes to send that note or email to say thank you. Imagine if kind words are the flowers and they are in full bloom everywhere we are!
Take care of you my friends! And take care of each other.
Hope to see you all soon!
