Always be a little kinder than necessary.
– – James M. Barrie
Welcome back, caring Cardinals. We hope your break was restful and relaxing. As we start the new year with the impact of Omicron seeming to affect so many of us, I can see a fraying of kindness and compassion in our everyday interactions with one another. I find I am more easily frustrated, less patient, and maybe even a little angry at times. And, that makes me uncomfortable because I like to think it’s not who I am. So, I am resolving to be a little kinder than necessary as we move forward this year. It will certainly make me feel better, but just as importantly, it might make those around me feel a bit better. Ultimately, that’s what community is about – lifting everyone up because we care. While I didn’t receive any email with acts of caring over the break, I want to call out the hundreds of undergraduate students at the College who took rapid antigen tests before they came back to campus as we recommended. That small act of compassion resulted in the early identification of positive COVID-19 cases allowing those students to stay home and helping mitigate against the spread of COVID-19 on the Winona Campus at the start of this new year. Thanks for being kinder than necessary.
What student, staff or faculty member has been a “little kinder than necessary” with you? Email me at caringcardinals@smumn.edu and share that story. Caring creates community.
Ann Merchlewitz
