Kindness Isn’t Rare, We Just Don’t Create the Conditions to Notice It

Kindness Isn’t Rare, We Just Don’t Create the Conditions to Notice It

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This Naturally High episode turns a simple trip to Wales into a gentle reminder that kindness might be far more common than it seems. Host Jeanne Foot shares a raw, personal story about flying from Canada to a small Welsh town during a family medical emergency. Exhausted and bracing for grief, she keeps bumping into people who go far beyond basic politeness.

An Uber driver refuses to leave her at the curb and insists on walking her right to the hospital ward. A nurse not only calls a cab, but pays the fare and escorts her to the door. As Jeanne puts it, moments like these "stopped me dead in my tracks" and left her asking, "Is kindness actually rare?

Or are we just not creating the conditions for it to show up in our life?" Through these stories, she contrasts the warm, open emotional culture she encounters in Wales with what she experiences in fast-paced North America, where people "hydroplane" through life and often feel suspicious when someone is overly nice.

Jeanne reflects on how her own heart had hardened over time, and how these gestures softened her, making her ask when she last made someone else feel truly seen in an everyday moment. For anyone in recovery or healing from trauma, her reflections tie kindness directly to identity, service, and belonging. She talks about loneliness, the need to feel understood, and the 12-step idea that helping others protects your own recovery.

Jeanne also shares her plan for a small experimental circle focused on kindness, nervous system safety, and boundaries as acts of love. This episode is ideal if you're craving real connection, wondering how to bring more compassion into daily life, or simply asking yourself: what small act of kindness could change someone’s day today?