A little over four months ago I started this blog in my little corner of the internet in an effort to spread disability awareness, inclusion, and kindness. In that short amount of time, our community has gained over 5,000 people from all over the world. You have shared stories, sent messages, and encouraged me more than I could have ever imagined. It is because of you that I am able to continuing spreading my message. It all began with this very first blog post, and, if you’re one of the 5,000 that has joined since, I encourage you to take a second to read it and learn about why I began this journey. It’s only fitting that today, on World Kindness Day, I remind myself of where it all started.

People Matter. Read that again.

Every. Single. Person. Matters.

I have a strong conviction that we were not put on this Earth to keep to ourselves. I believe we were put on this Earth to love each other. I believe we were put on this Earth to laugh and breathe and cry and share with each other. I believe that no matter what type of hair grows on your head and what type of blood rushes through your veins, we are all alike. I believe that everybody is a somebody.

I believe that kindness knows no color. Kindness knows no political party, or religion, or bank account number. Kindness is different.

Kindness trumps power. Kindness trumps talent. Kindness trumps coolness.

In the spring of 2013, I found myself sitting in an undergraduate class in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. I became completely enthralled by the study of speech pathology and the clients I soon began serving. I loved the entire process, from initial diagnosis to discharge. I loved staying up late creating new and innovative ways to provide treatment. I loved the smiles that came from parents after a great session and the hugs that came from the kids. I loved it all.

Three years later, as I was nearing the end of graduate school, I found myself applying for job after job and receiving rejection after rejection for a position I was told “would always be looking to hire.” I tried my best to stay positive and keep searching, however, I quickly became frustrated and sidetracked. I began looking into alternative paths to serve the people I felt called to serve, but knowing I would serve them in a way my education did not necessarily prepare me to do. Four months later, I found a job, which I loved, but I just couldn’t shake my big plan to make the world a kinder place.

At first, I believed kindness was choosing a career built upon service. Kindness was giving the gift of communication to those for whom it was not innate. Kindness was playing Candyland five times a day because it was the only thing that motivated a client.

I now believe, though, that kindness is bigger than that. Kindness picks up the pieces when the world comes shattering down. Kindness pays it forward, smiles at a stranger, offers a hand to hold. Kindness is so much bigger than a professional with a fancy degree. And while we may not all have the opportunity to serve others through our chosen career paths, we all have the opportunity to serve others through the way we live our lives, the way we choose our words, and the way we teach our children to do the same.

My passion lies at the intersection of my career and my biggest dream, which, today, I am introducing to the world. My career is treating those with communication disorders, but my biggest dream is sharing their stories.

Here, in this place, you will find kindness.

If you are a parent, you will find resources to help instill kindness in your children, ideas to spread kindness in the community, and support for parents of children with disabilities. If you are an educator, you will find resources for cultivating kindness in your classrooms, ways to speak to your students about disabilities, and classroom materials focused on disability awareness.  And, if you, like me, are neither a parent nor a teacher, I hope you will come here to be a part of a community committed to uplifting others, spreading awareness, and reminding people that kindness always trumps coolness.

…mg