I don't think kindness is something we are required to pour out into the world.
I love kindness. I love being compassionate and sweet and caring to individuals who otherwise might experience very little of it; that does not mean I owe the world my kindness all the time.
We are allowed to become bitter in our own secret ways. You can resent someone, you can dislike them, you can even hate them. You do not owe them your kindness in private; you do not need to force your heart to conform to a feeling that is incompatible with you.
Outward kindness is a form of therapy, a form of healing for everyone - but do not get caught up in the idea that having your private bitterness means you are an imposter, that you are secretly unkind, that you are wearing a mask. We are all bitter in our own ways, but the action is what speaks louder than our words. We put kindness out, knowing we do not owe it to the world in our private moments - we do our best to make a stranger's day, and we run our fingers through all our little frustrations and anxieties as we're going to sleep.
I don't think we should have to worry about being kind all the time.
I think we can be a little bitter in our own private spaces. I think leaving the space for those feelings is healthy.
