The Kindness Test: What a Friend’s Text Taught Me About Integrity

True character isn’t revealed in big speeches—it’s shown in small, thoughtful actions. Like a text that says, “Don’t pick me up—I care about you.

You can tell the kind of person you are dealing with by their actions. I’ll give you a good example. One of my neighbors is an exceptionally good and caring person. A few weeks back I took her to the airport to catch a flight to Paris. She was going on an European vacation. It was an extended vacation, nearly 3 weeks. She shared lots of photos with clpse neighbors. I’m sure we were all envious of the fun and adventures she was having. When I dropped her off at the airport, I told her to text me a couple days before she was heading home and let me know the time of her flights so I could pick her up. Here is the action that describes the kind of person she is. She text me and said that during the past week, she had both bronchitis and Covid. She was sure she’s not contagious any longer, but she didn’t want me to take a chance and to get either bronchitis or Covid. She told me not to pick her up. She’d take a cab home. That is an act of thoughtfulness and kindness. She could have thought,  I’m OK now I don’t have to say anything. She did, however, have the integrity to mention it and to take action. I’m happy I have friends like her. People you can trust and count on. I hope you have many of them as well.