Kill 'em with Kindness

What an interesting morning!

On my way to work, I was about to take a right onto a major street. While looking left for traffic, I must’ve let my foot off the brake just enough to gently roll into the car in front of me. Insta-accident. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything major—just a couple of scuffs on her bumper. I got out and asked the driver to pull into the business lot next to us to get out of traffic. I could tell she was initially upset, and understandably so.

She told me she was going to report the accident so she wouldn't be stuck paying for the damage. I’ll be honest—my first thought wasn’t the most gracious one. But then I realized: this was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention. And how I handled this moment could shift the entire tone of the interaction.

So, I owned up to it. I offered her a copy of my insurance right away (thank you, insurance app), and explained I’d already filed a claim. That’s when she softened. She told me she didn’t mean to be a pain—it’s just that her car is leased, and she didn’t want to get stuck with the cost. “If your insurance covers it, that’s all I’m asking,” she said. And in that moment, I saw her not as an angry driver—but as a human being, trying to navigate life like the rest of us.

She even mentioned there was no need to get the police involved since we were handling everything ourselves. At the end, she thanked me for being so nice and helpful.

That little exchange reminded me: kindness always has the power to change a situation. Accidents happen. What matters is how we respond to them. We can’t undo the past, but we can choose how we show up in the present. Being kind doesn’t cost a thing, and sometimes it makes all the difference.