I am sitting in the Phoenix airport about to take off for the first leg of my book tour in Silicon Valley, CA  and Portland, Oregon.

I arrived at 4:30am since my husband dropped me off before work.  My flight takes off at 6:15am. The entrance to the departure curb was blocked off for maintenance, and by the time we realized it, I had to crawl over some barriers with my suitcase and drag my book-laden suitcases far down the sidewalk.

The police officer stationed at the blocked off entrance gave me an annoyed look. “Someone left you stranded, huh?” he said, as if I had been walking for three miles after my husband threw me out of the car.

I learned after passing through security that the Starbucks doesn’t open until 5:45am. I got three hours of sleep last night so I was more than grumpy to learn caffeine would not cross my lips for a full hour.

Since I had time to write a blog post, I was grasping for topics, but all I could think of were things like:

• Why mean people suck
• Why try to influence what you can’t change?
• Coffee revolutions around the world: withhold caffeine no more
• Sleep:  the working mother’s lust

Not exactly fodder to help you want to escape your cube or kick your business into high gear, is it?

Then, as if on command from Dora the Formerly Disgruntled Angel (she must exist, right?), I get this tweet from Daniel S. (@darosi on Twitter):

I felt a physical shift in my heart.  Love flooded in. My eyes got teary.  My mood totally changed.

For some reason, Daniel S. decided to share a kind thought right when I needed it.

His Twitter profile says:

I thrive on innovation and I’m committed to making this world a better place. Carpe Diem.

Thank you Daniel, you rock. You just made my world a better place today.

Now I will look for opportunities throughout my trip to show the same kindness as Daniel, by doing things like:

• Saying thank you often and sincerely
• Complimenting someone on a job well done
• Encouraging to my clients and students

Kindness is not a little thing.  It is not fluffy, unicorn and rainbow coachy stuff.

Kindness heals.

I highly recommend it.

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