The Kindness I Took Years to Understand.
I first found this poem, Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye, because Emma Thompson once recited it back then. Which is, honestly, very on brand for me. Some people discover poems through literature classes. Some through heartbreak. I discovered this one because Emma Thompson read it, and because I have a serious, unquestionable respect for that woman’s taste, I thought, if she finds this important, perhaps I should keep it somewhere too. At that time, I did not fully understand the poem. I knew it was beautiful. I knew it had weight. But it did not enter me yet. Maybe my English was not strong enough. Maybe I was too young. Or maybe life had not translated it for me. So I kept it. For years. “Before you know what kindness really is” That is how the poem begins. Not with comfort. Not with sweetness. Not with a gentle reminder to be nice to people and smile more often, as if kindness is just a decorative personality trait. It begins like a warning. Before you know kindness, someth...
