Watching Kindness Move in Real Time
Watching Kindness Move in Real Time
What a small moment on the boardwalk revealed about human nature.
sent by Krystal Chryssomallis | February 16, 2026
”Sometimes it takes very little to shift the emotional tone of a shared space."
Hi Friend,
In the days around Valentine’s Day, I noticed an interesting pattern.
So many people were aggravated by it. Calling it made up. Saying it was silly. Going out of their way not to participate, not to connect, not to acknowledge it at all. And I found myself paying attention to the contrast.
Because at its core, Valentine’s Day is simply a celebration of love.
On Valentine’s Day, I was walking along the boardwalk in Santa Monica when I saw something sweet. There was a young man — maybe late 20s — holding a bundle of long-stem red roses. He had carefully cleaned them, removed the thorns, and was simply walking the boardwalk handing them out to women he passed. No agenda. Just a small act of kindness because he knew it might make someone smile.
As I kept walking, I began to notice something else: all along the beach path were women carrying a single red rose. And everyone who saw it — whether they giggled, smiled, or simply took it in — felt it. For a brief moment, the entire boardwalk softened. One small act of care had created a ripple far beyond the original gesture. You could actually watch the ripple travel down the boardwalk — one rose, one smile, one person at a time.
It was a rare moment where the spread of kindness wasn’t abstract — it was visibly unfolding in real time. And it was a reminder of how little it takes to shift the emotional tone of a shared space.
I often think about how the Greek language has eight different words for love, while in English we use just one. We say we love our parents, love our friends, love our carpet, love our dog… and it all blends together. But love isn’t one-dimensional. It’s layered. Expansive. And the more forms of love we allow into our lives — friendship, kindness, generosity, warmth — the more space we create for deeper love to find us.
Love is expansive. The more we hold it, express it, and offer it freely, the more it tends to grow.
So in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, consider this a gentle reminder: you are loved. And the more intentionally we practice the many forms of love available to us — kindness, attention, generosity, presence — the more expansive our world tends to become.
Wishing you a beautiful week.
With love,
Krystal ♥️
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