On the weekend I was in line at the supermarket checkout when I heard a friendly “argument” between two people in the line next to me. “Are you sure you don’t want me to pay for some of these things?” one person pressed? “Oh no! I’ve been saving to take you here so you could choose whatever you like! And I’m going to take you out to dinner too!” The banter went back and forth for a few minutes…and the smiles on their faces made me smile!

So I got out a couple of Love and Kindness Buttons and gave them to each person! “That’s the kind of “arguing” I love to hear! Thank you for your kindness”, I said!

“Great story, great friends”, you are probably thinking! As was I. The other part of the story is that one of the friends was obviously a trans woman.

And if that changes your opinion, or causes you to pause and wonder if you would offer a Love and Kindness button in that situation, I’d like you to think again. Because you don’t need to be the judge of other people’s choices of how to live their lives. Those are their choices. Not yours.

The fact is, the more unkindly you judge other people, the less likely you are to speak and act kindly to them.

The equation is simple:

Less judgment = more Kindness

Today (and every day), please remind yourself that even if someone isn’t doing what you think they should, you don’t need to judge them harshly or treat them unkindly, because it isn’t up to you to judge.

It’s up to you to act, speak and think kindly so that everyone feels safe and welcome.

I’ll say it again…Less judgment = more kindness…