I Will Remember Not to Forget

This year, to foster kindness, I’m going to remember not to forget myself. I’m going to remember my own battered and beaten soul and I’m going to indulge her in a healing process so rich and nurturing we will feel like a whole new woman. A woman loving herself so ferociously there’s love to spare, spilling out onto you and you and them.

As I look into the eyes of each person I pass and each person I meet I’m going to remember not to forget that trapped behind those strong, sad, scared eyes is a soul just the same as mine. I’m going to remember that the soul in all of you is often just as broken as mine; most not so simply from poor decisions and heart break -- many from centuries of irreversible oppression, stigma, stereo typing far beyond the scope of my emotional understanding. And I’m going to try to understand.

This year, to foster kindness I’m going to remember not to forget that we are us. I’m going to step into your shoes so I can see you the way that you see you. I’m going to learn who you are and what your family is made of, so I’ll ask the uncomfortable questions and be all ears for the crushingly un-just answers. And while you preach them, I’m going to dive into your eyes, absorbing your emotions and taking in every ounce that is you.

And after hearing your plights, feeling your pain as best I can through words and expressions, seeing all the ways we are simply the same and beautifully different I’m going to wonder; when did we, as a society and as people forget we are all born of the same flesh, blood, and bones? How can such a large majority be so blind to the fact that hurting eachother is only hurting ourselves?

Oh yea. When we forgot to remember ourselves. When we forgot to remember that we are all people, we all feel the same feelings, we all carry the same brilliant potential, we all rock the same skeleton.

Instead, we ditched both our brains and our hearts and decided to focus on the meat suit none of us got to choose.

We allowed hate and bullying became so easy children do it with a push of a button and not a care in their hearts.

Now we don’t even have to feel the pain radiating from a fellow human’s soul through their eyes as we watch them slowly fill with tears. A simply heartless push of a button and someone is crushed because they like them, or their mother’s skin is a few beautiful shades darker than yours, or they love art so much it’s displayed all over their body in ink, colored hair, and exotic clothes.

So this year, to foster kindness, I’ll lower my filters, deactivate my blinders, and unplug the opinions while encouraging others to do the same. My photos will show my flaws and my comments will praise what you perceive as yours. I’ll nourish my soul so she can in turn nourish yours. I’ll go on more hikes, I’ll plant more trees, I’ll frolic in more fields, and I won’t post it so I can reach one million followers.

I’ll skip the Walmart and instead shop at your stores; your black-owned, woman-owned, LGBTQ-owned, simply-just-YOU-owned stores. I’ll see your culture through art and food, through museums and interactions. I’ll open my eyes and more importantly my heart.

This year, to foster kindness, I’ll remember to see each one of who for who you really are … nothing more and nothing less than a soul.

And when I see you, I’ll remember to remind you; I’m here for you, and we are here for us.