Like we care

Now that New Year's Day has passed, I think we're safe to discard all of the kindness, compassion and peace-on-earth mumbo jumbo that we've been force-fed and spewed forth since mid-November.

Just kidding. Or am I? Why do we only celebrate (and encourage) compassion and goodwill once a year? If Christmas really is not our birthday, why can't every day be a little more like Christmas? Well, why can't every day be a little more like Christmas could be: Everyone could just try a little harder to treat each other with respect and kindness?

I don't mean the Southern flavor of kindness, the one where you pretend to be nice because you'd feel guilty if you didn't (guilty as charged, although at least we're not all swinging at each other down here). I mean the authentic variety where you take responsibility for yourself and your actions and think about other people pretty often, too.

Yes, this is a little idealistic, but I can be practical, too. I know we're all going to have days between now and 2008 where someone cuts us off in traffic, gives us a nasty look or flips us a bird. On some of those days, we're each going to be that someone, too, in one form or another. We're going to have bad days, and people are going to disagree with us. Still, I'd like to think that at least somewhere in our souls, nearly all of us meant what we said or read or sang (or all of the above) a week or two ago, including the parts about loving our neighbors and being kind to others.

It's not Christmas, and it won't be again for another 356 days, but let's all resolve to pretend that it is, OK? [Image: allposters.com]