Can’t we all just be more … nice?

We recently heard a story about a woman who, over the holidays, went to her elderly neighbor’s house and set up a Christmas tree for him. She had overheard him talking wistfully about Christmases past, and how much his dear, departed wife had loved decorating the tree. It warmed our hearts to hear that this woman showed up at his door the very next day and did it for him. We wanted to be more like that—more … nice.

It would have been easy for this woman to offer a few words of sympathy to her neighbor and go off on her way. That’s what most of us would have done. It made us think about how much the little things matter. The choices we make, the connections we welcome or ignore on a daily basis, are not inconsequential. They are the moments that define us.

So this year we resolve to be “more nice.” We’re not exactly sure what form that will take, but we have a few ideas. We can shovel someone’s walk, or scrape the ice off a friend’s car in the parking lot at work. We can leave a mystery latte on someone’s desk. Drop off dinner or organize a housecleaning crew for a family with a new baby in the house. We’re sure if we start looking, we’ll find lots of things we can do. The key is to get in the habit of looking. As New Year’s resolutions go, we can’t think of a better one.