Dec. 5 - Standing up for Kindness

Day 339 of a year of kindness

I stood up for kindness. I was working remotely at my local public library today. It was freezing outside and the library has a sunny room with lots of large windows. But when I reached for the door, it was locked. I noticed a new sign with a new rule - the room must be reserved.

I asked if I could reserve it, which was silly because I didn’t need an entire meeting space - and it took 10 minutes to fill out the paperwork. It bothered me. What was recently a community space was now walled off by rules and forms. The new rule applies to other spaces and study areas in the library as well.

Before I left, I filled out a feedback form. I respectfully and kindly requested that they stop restricting these spaces. Of course, groups reserve these rooms for activities. But when no one is using the space and the sun is pouring through the windows, the door should be open. Making members reserve the rooms for exclusive use runs counter to a library’s mission of bringing people together. 

The library has always been open and welcoming and this was a disappointing development.I feel a growing responsibility to advocate for kindness in my community. When I head back there next week, I’ll speak to someone in person.

Science of Kindness: Research shows that kindness is not just about generosity—it’s about advocating for issues you believe in such as accessibility and community. #BeKind #KindnessCounts #KindnessCounts2025 #kindness #kindnesseffect #openspaces