“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” — Kurt Vonnegut

Even if it’s just an impression in the concrete, there’s still evidence of life and beauty. I love that.

And despite the gut wrenching deficit of decency we’re experiencing in current society, I still believe there are glimmers of simple goodness and kindness every day. A neighbor bringing in someone else’s trash cans from the curb or tossing a wayward newspaper closer to their front door. A walker on the sidewalk alerting me to oncoming traffic and then giving me the all-clear to back out of my driveway. Letting someone cut in front in the grocery line only to have someone else offer to take my empty cart off my hands in the parking lot. Strangers loving on my dog. Genuine smiles. “I saw this and thought of you” texts. People who ask how you’re doing — and really wanting the answer. Even when things seem so dark, these kindnesses offer tiny flickers of hope.

Now is a really tough time to be an empath. No question about it. But I’m still hopeful. Though I don’t always believe the world to be a beautiful place these days, I do stand firm in the belief of the power of little gestures to make a difference and that God’s love is exchanged in the details.