On a Tuesday morning, a man in front of me at a coffee shop dropped his wallet and what looked like the last thread holding his patience together. Before I could bend down, a teenager in work boots scooped everything up, handed it back, and said, “Looks like your money tried to leave without you.”

The whole line laughed. The tired man laughed too. In 10 seconds, the room changed. Nobody got richer. Nobody got promoted. But the air felt lighter. Every face seemed less guarded.

That’s the interesting thing about kindness. It isn’t just a favor – it’s a force. It helps the person in need, strengthens the one who gives it, and boosts the mood of everyone nearby. It’s true our lives are shaped by big moments, but most days are shaped by smaller things: a seat offered, a call returned, a smile, a sharp reply swallowed.

I saw it again a few weeks later in a grocery store parking lot. An older woman stood beside her car, staring at a flat tire, her phone in her hand, but no one to call. Then a man in paint-stained clothes pulled over, got out without much ceremony, and asked if she had a spare. She didn’t, but he did. And he got to work, loosening bolts, steadying the jack, talking to her about ordinary things while he worked.

When he finished, she tried to hand him a couple of bucks. He waved it off, wiped his hands on a rag, and said, “Just get home safe.” I watched her get into her car as the world had just proven itself a little less hostile.

We’ve studied this. People who practice a week of intentional kindness get happier. Kindness improves the well-being of the person giving it, the person receiving it, and even the people who simply witness it.

In one trial, adults who spent four weeks performing acts of kindness showed healthier shifts in immune-related gene expression. It sounds technical, but the idea is simple: practicing kindness supports your immune system. It doesn’t replace sleep, medicine or common sense. It doesn’t make you invincible. But it does mean your actions are shaping your internal world in ways you might not see.

We often let our mood dictate what we do. What we forget is that the reverse also is true. A bad mood can be changed by changing your behavior. A softer tone, a moment of patience, can interrupt the direction a day was already heading.

And it doesn’t stop with the people directly involved. Watch kindness for a few minutes, and something shifts. People become calmer, more generous, and less defensive. Other research shows that even hearing about kindness can soften the impact of bad news and restore some faith in other people. The effect travels. It widens.

Still, it’s easy to look at the world – especially at people in power – and conclude that kindness is weakness. That it belongs to pushovers or the naive. But kindness is not surrender. It’s control. It’s deciding that irritation will not run your mouth, your schedule, or your home. It’s sending the text you’ve been putting off. Holding the door. Giving the compliment before your inner cynic talks you out of it. It’s being patient with the cashier, gracious with the server, and merciful with yourself on the days when your own engine sounds like an old pickup truck in January.

You don’t have to be extraordinary to be kind, although these days it can feel unusual. It asks for something simpler: presence. To notice. To pause. To choose one response over another. And that choice travels farther than you’ll ever see. The receiver gets relief. The giver gets meaning. The witness gets a reminder that the world isn’t finished, not beyond repair, not doomed to stay cold.

So start small. Return the cart. Write the note. Make the call. Be respectful on social media. Treat the customer service agent like a human being. Leave one person lighter than you found them.

Because every act of kindness reaches beyond the moment itself. It pushes back on despair. And in a world that often feels heavier than it should, that is no small thing.

• Toby Moore is a Shaw Local News Network columnist, star of the Emmy-nominated film “A Separate Peace” and CEO of CubeStream Inc. He can be reached at feedback@shawmedia.com.