Dress: Topshop – runs small like all Topshop stuff in my opinion, I’m wearing a 4! | Shoes: Ann Taylor – love these too! | Handbag: Urban Outfitters – love this one too! | Sunglasses: Ray Ban – also available here! | Lips: Bare Minerals

After the tragic passing of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain a few weeks back, I found myself a little more affected than I thought I would have been. I think it’s shocking to everyone when ‘famous’ people who seem to have it all could have these demons. It’s an important reminder that you never know what’s going on in someone’s life and that money and fame don’t fulfill anyone. 

There has always been a stigma associated with mental health issues and although I have never struggled with them personally; I have so many friends of all different walks of life that deal with them daily and never feel comfortable talking about it. The more and more I thought about it the more I realized that the one thing we could all try to do (including myself) is to be a little kinder. 

With the current political climate it seems like the way we speak to one another has deteriorated. We send messages to people we don’t know saying vile things, we judge everyone we come in contact with and often assume things about people we don’t even know. 

I decided to make a concerted effort to practice a little more kindness every day and it has shifted my mood, the people around me and Zain. Simple things like making sure to hold doors, saying please and thank you and chatting with people you interact with instead of hiding your face will add more value to your day and you have no idea how it could change someone else’s. 

I was reading a post recently on Kelly’s blog about how we shouldn’t ask people what they do for a living as soon as we meet them and it really rang true. We’re judging new people before even getting to know them and this happens to me all the time. (I’m also guilty of it myself) I feel this need to say I am a dentist but taking some time away and running this blog while taking care of my son. I am immediately asked what my husband does and then boxed into a category. 

I don’t know why I feel the need to defend myself because it shouldn’t matter but it seems to be a losing battle for women sometimes. Either you work too much, too little, don’t have time for a family, have too much time for a family…the list goes on and on. So why don’t we all try to get to know people a little more before placing labels on them and exude a little more kindness. I know I will.