You is kind. You is smart. You is important.

So I plagiarize - we all know it's from The Help, right?  If not, get thee out and read or see it!  Anyways, without going into the story too much because this train will get derailed rather quickly ~  "The Help" refers to the Southern African American maids during the 60's and the varying relationships amongst them.  One of the young girls who wants to shake things up decides to write a book about "The Help" and thus the story is born.
My title is a quote that one of the maids drums into one of the the white toddlers heads that she is responsible for out of fear that her unloving mother will never teach her child those all important words.
I guess though, for me, I saw more into that quote.  Kind of related it to the whole "Pay it forward" concept - another book/movie combo.
I asked myself - aren't these related? If you is kind, if you is smart and if you is important than you're sure as ants on a log going to pay it forward, right?  However, I've discovered this isn't true.
And here's where I enter a disclaimer, only because a close friend who also blogs seems to have had her hand slapped based on something she put in her blog.  These blogs are not about you!  They are a vehicle to express oneself.  Unless I put your name in this blog and call you out - keep your shackles down.  If you feel I'm speaking to you and it brings out anger - don't read anymore, delete me as your friend or check yourself and move forward.
Alrighty then, back to our regularly scheduled program.  Kind + smart + important = pay it forward?  Nope.  Now what I see is smart = important and charity is something we so when people are looking.  Harsh words.  They apply to me too ~ don't worry.  Kindness and paying it forward are concepts that are easily forgotten.  We desire to move up the corporate ladder, we make impulsive decisions not realizing the ramifications of what we've done, we are focused on the task at hand.  Life is hard, it's busy, it's stressful.  Where went the simplicity of it all?  And whose job is to bring it back?
Well, I will tell you whose job it is ~ it's ours!  By paying it forward (always) we are teaching our children that they are kind, they are smart and heck, they're important.  But by giving, not only are we teaching our children, we're teaching everyone.  Life really is simple, friends.  (Which is a topic made for another day) But I encourage you to spend some time paying it forward.  Someone makes you dinner - return their dish with another meal (or a gift card), a friend makes a comment that just hits you in the right spot - tell them.  Don't walk away and assume they know.You seen someone you don't really care for struggling, paint that smile on and ask what you can do to help.  Greet people by name when you can.  Smile even when it feels like you want to punch everyone in the throat.  If the only way you can reach someone is to facebook or text, then do it.
Please continue to be the kind, smart, and important person I know you can be!