Is your name Jackass?

How I Make a Commitment to Kindness.

A few weeks ago, while driving with my 5 year old son, I was cut off by another driver. In a short tempered moment I yelled out "Hey Jackass!"

From the back seat my son said, "Daddy, how did you know his name was Jackass?"

Thinking quickly I said, "Oh, he had it on his license plate."

After chuckling, I realized that I wasn't being that patient and my son had witnessed it. Now living in New Jersey, this scene repeats itself again and again on the highways. I don't know if we created road rage but I think we made it into performance art.

We've all been there, impatient, pissed off or maybe just not as nice as we could be. It got me to thinking, "Why aren't kind to each other?

Now you may be saying, "Joe, you're too hard on yourself, everyone loses their temper now and again".

I guess I know I'm not a bad person and although the story above is true it's just one little piece of a picture of the world that made me want to do things a little differently.

I'm at a stage in my life when I want things to have meaning. I want to raise a good kid that understands that caring about others isn't a weakness, it's a strength we can cultivate. I want to know that a regular guy named Joe can have a positive impact to the world.

I decided that I would spend this year cultivating kindness. Maybe if I actively cultivate it, I might inspire others to be kind as well.

If you believe, like me, that kindness can change the world, that all kind acts, random and otherwise, large and small, make the world a better place, let me know.

Joe