FROM THE

BY SARAH NIGBOR

Always stay humble and kind

My kids have asked me a simple question lately multiple times, but one that carries weight: Why are people so mean?

I try to explain to them that not all people are mean, that many people are actually very kind and mean well. But I don’t know how to explain some adults’ behavior to them. All we can do is try to teach them to be kind and to lead by example.

Since our country has become so politically divided and since the pandemic struck, I’ve seen more instances of rude and uncalled- for behavior from adults. It’s like some people feel emboldened or entitled to treat people poorly if they don’t get their own way, if a mistake is made or just because. I honestly don’t understand it and it makes my heart hurt.

I try to remember that maybe sometimes people are having a bad day. We all have those. I’m certainly not Mary Sunshine all the time, but I don’t think having a bad day gives people the right to treat others poorly.

We went to the glow-in-the-dark pirate mini golf course in Hudson this weekend, and as you can imagine, a family of six takes a while to get through the course. We tried to be evcient, but let's just say for some of us, glow-in-the-dark mini golf is challenging.

We noticed two families of three behind us, creeping up faster and faster. Soon they were waiting behind us, their impatience becoming more obvious with each passing minute. We tried to hurry, but it was taking a while. We decided to let them go ahead of us, so they didn’t have to wait for us anymore. They went ahead of us without a look, a thank you, or even an acknowledgement that they'd heard our ouer. Instead, we heard one of the mothers say loudly to her son, “Finally, they were so f-ing slow.” My daughter was upset by this and it put a damper on the rest of the game.

It’s not uncommon that when someone calls the paper about a correction, the caller is rude, yelling and in attack mode. Swearing is also not uncommon. This happened just this week. It’s beyond me why an adult conversation without profanity and anger can’t be had. Last time I checked, we are all human. We. Make. Mistakes. While we try to always be accurate and fair, sometimes a fact or a name is wrong. We hold ourselves accountable and print a correction. It’s important to us to be accurate. But we are not perfect. That does not give people the right to be rude and refuse to listen to a reasonable explanation. An adult conversation would be nice.

One of my favorite songs is “Always stay humble and kind,” sung by Tim McGraw. We would all do well to live by the lyrics. I’ll share them here: You know there’s a lot that goes by the front door Don’t forget the keys under the mat Childhood stars shine, always stay humble and kind Go to church ‘cause your momma says to Visit grandpa every chance that you can It won’t be a waste of time Always stay humble and kind Hold the door say please say thank you Don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie I know you got mountains to climb but Always stay humble and kind When the dreams you’re dreamin’ come to you When the work you put in is realized Let yourself feel the pride but Always stay humble and kind Don’t expect a free ride from no one Don’t hold a grudge or a chip and here’s why Bitterness keeps you from flying Always stay humble and kind Know the dierence between sleeping with someone And sleeping with someone you love I love you ain’t no pick up line so Always stay humble and kind Hold the door say please say thank you Don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie I know you got mountains to climb but Always stay humble and kind When those dreams you’re dreamin’ come to you When the work you put in is realized Let yourself feel the pride but Always stay humble and kind When it’s hot, eat a root beer, a popsicle Shut o the AC and roll the windows down Let that summer sun shine Always stay humble and kind Don’t take for granted the love this life gives you When you get where you’re goin’ Don’t forget turn back around Help the next one in line Always stay humble and kind