Sprinkle Kindness: The Small Gestures That Stay With Us
I still remember my first week at a new school. Everything was new: the building, the classrooms, the routines, and the names. As a person who is blind, I was learning how to move through unfamiliar hallways, listening carefully and trying to understand where everything was and where I fit in.
What I remember most is not the building. It is the people.
Most students clearly avoided me. Not in an obvious way. They did not insult me or say anything unkind. They simply kept their distance. When I walked toward a group, the conversation would slow down, and suddenly everyone had somewhere else to go. When I sat nearby, no one chose the empty seat next to me. When group work started, I was the last person waiting.
Even though no one told me I did not belong, by the end of that first week, I felt excluded.
Looking back, I often ask myself how many students across this country still experience this today. How many walk into a new school and quietly hope that someone will notice them. How many sit in classrooms, cafeterias, or playgrounds wondering if someone will speak to them.
And this does not only happen in schools. It can happen in any setting.
Someone joins a new team, and no one invites them to lunch. Conversations happen around them, but not with them.
These moments are subtle, but they are significant.
When we talk about bullying, we often think about the visible cases. The harsh words. The open rejection. The situations that are clearly wrong.
As we continue to denounce those actions, something else can be done. We can choose kindness.
This year, Pink Shirt Day invites us to “Sprinkle Kindness.” I like this theme because sprinkling is something gentle and intentional. It reminds us that kindness does not have to be bold to be meaningful.
I remember the first time someone reached out to me. “Good morning, may I sit beside you?” my new classmate Lisa asked.
It was such a simple question. But in that moment, it meant everything. She sat down and talked to me like it was the most natural thing in the world. Not long after that, another student included me in a group activity without hesitation. Both students simply made space for me.
Because of these small gestures, I started to feel more comfortable. More included. More confident. These moments did not change the whole world, but they changed my world.
Kindness can be very simple. It can be choosing to sit beside someone who is alone and starting a conversation. It can be introducing yourself to someone who is new and helping them find their classroom. It can be inviting someone to join your table at lunch instead of letting them sit by themselves.
Kindness can also be asking someone for their opinion during group work and truly listening to their answer. It can be offering help when someone seems unsure. It can be remembering someone’s name and greeting them the next day. It can be inviting a new colleague to join you for lunch. It can be checking in and asking how their first week is going.
Kindness can also mean noticing when someone is being left out and choosing to include them. It can mean giving credit to someone whose idea was overlooked. It can mean choosing not to laugh at a joke that makes someone uncomfortable and instead helping shift the conversation.
These actions may seem small, but they help create places where people feel welcomed, respected, and included.
Being kind only requires awareness and intention. Each of us has opportunities every day to make someone feel seen.
When I think about my first week at that new school, I mostly remember Lisa. I remember the people who chose kindness.
Their actions helped me feel like I belonged. They boosted my confidence and helped me move forward.
This Pink Shirt Day, we are reminded that kindness is something we can all practice every day. Somewhere, someone is wondering if they will be accepted. Your small gesture can help answer that question.
When we sprinkle kindness, we help build schools, workplaces and communities where everyone feels included.
