Make Kindness Your Currency
It only has value if you are sharing it
By Bill Plessinger
Photos: Bill Plessinger
In 2013, I went to grad school after being in the workforce for 20 years. One of the first activities my classmates and I took part in was the Myers-Briggs assessment to determine the characteristics of our personalities. My test results labeled me as an introvert. Everyone else’s results noted an “E” for extrovert, which made me the black sheep of the class. This was not a total surprise; if given the chance after work, I prefer some quiet time at home to recharge the batteries, while the more gregarious among us might want to immediately enjoy the company of others. I have to make an effort to mix and mingle both in and out of work. It’s been easier knowing that learning about others can be one of the most gratifying parts of life.
There is a statement that, if one is willing to talk first, one will always have someone to talk to. Sometimes it is nice just to walk around the pools at my community center, say hello to the guards, and see who is swimming. Those who ask questions will eventually learn something amazing. For instance, I learned one of our regular swimmers, after high school, was at a Naval Air Station in Key West when a foreign fighter jet appeared on the radar, and shortly after on the horizon. Sirens went off and the base was on high alert. Eventually the jet landed on the runway and the pilot climbed out. After the alarms were silenced and guns lowered, it was discovered that the Russian MIG was piloted by a Cuban defecting from his country. Few people will ever get a chance to see that, and even fewer will hear the story.
On another occasion at the pool, a guest named Jon and I discussed the subject of donuts. I am a huge fan of Amy’s Donuts on the south side of Columbus. It is the Disneyland of donuts (if you are in Central Ohio, I highly recommend it). There is more than 100 varieties. At the time I didn’t think much of the conversation and then moved on with my day. The next day, however, my opinion of that conversation was much different. When I arrived at work, Jon had already been to Amy’s (he wanted to see it for himself) and delivered two dozen donuts to the lifeguards. Two dozen donuts were delivered to my staff members simply because I stopped to talk to a guest. As an introvert, I am amazed.
One article that has always stayed with me was about the somewhat tragic reputation of the majestic Golden Gate Bridge as the world’s leading spot for suicide. The debate on whether safety devices should be installed to reduce the number of suicides has been ongoing for years. Kevin Briggs, who earned the nickname “The Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge,” was a California Highway Patrol officer for more than 20 years, and in that time talked more than 200 people down from the edge. One early incident took over 90 minutes. Briggs recalls that, of those 90 minutes, he probably spoke for only four or five. Some people just need someone to listen.
The other part of that article was about a doctor who was visiting at the house of a patient who had recently jumped. The doctor found a note on a bureau: “I’m going to walk to the bridge. If one person smiles at me on the way, I will not jump.” One person. Everyone I know is just one person.
Our community center is laid out on a north-south axis, with a long hallway running most of the length. Since reading that article, I have made a concerted effort to say hello to anyone, young or old, walking in the opposite direction in that hallway. You never know if you will be that person who makes a difference in someone's life just by acknowledging that he or she is a person and not invisible to others.
Conference and keynote speaker Kyle Scheele says, “It only takes one person to make you feel like you matter. It takes one person to make someone's day. All of us have the ability every single day to hand somebody something that can lift them up for the next 80 years of their life.” As a human being and as a professional, kindness can be your currency. It is always free, and you will never run out. More importantly, kindness only has value if you share it. I hope to see you in the hallway of my community center someday. I’ll be sure to say hello.
Bill Plessinger, CPRP, is the Aquatics Manager for the city of Westerville Parks & Recreation Department in Ohio. Reach him at william.plessinger@westerville.org.