Kindness is a language that everyone around the world can understand. A smile, a hug, and other simple, warm gestures can take someone’s day from horrible to happy in a single moment. Kindness can often have a domino effect, causing the recipients to remember just how important it is. Your simple smile or thoughtful words can help others turn around and treat someone else a little better, too.
As the owner of a mobile home park, there are many ways that you can rise above the mobile home park stigma to create a lovely neighborhood community that displays a set of values. Setting a standard of caring and kindness to your tenants is just one small but very powerful way of doing this.
With today being World Kindness Day, we thought it would be appropriate to give some suggestions to help spread a little kindness around your mobile home park.
Show that you care about every person in your park
Take the time to get to know each of your new tenants. If there are children, learn their names and ages, or something they are interested in. Ask about them occasionally, and let them know you care about how they’re doing in school or sports.
Pay attention to your elderly or ill tenants, and check on them regularly. Offer to pick something up for them when you are running to the store. Many elderly and ill people have a difficult time getting out. Running errands for them could save them a good bit of struggle.
Offer to help your tenants with things that aren’t your responsibility. Going out of your way to be caring and helpful can encourage others to do the same. This can help foster a community mindset that will benefit all of you.
Remember your tenants during the holidays
Acknowledge the holidays with a simple card or gift basket for each of your tenants. Consider including something more child-specific when there are children. This will show that you care about each individual person, no matter how young. Although this might seem like a lot of work or a little overwhelming, there are many simple and inexpensive ideas online that would make the task a little easier.
Invite some of your single, lonely, or discouraged tenants into your home for a warm meal and some laughs. This is especially important during the holidays when loneliness and depression are particularly difficult to work through.
Consider putting up some lights around the park for added sparkle during the holidays and invite some of the younger tenants to help you. You never know how far a little Christmas cheer might help a teen who is going through a rough time.
Host a canned food and toy drive to benefit your local community and encourage your tenants to volunteer. Working together to help those in need is a great way to remember all of the things you have to be grateful for.
Remember to speak kindly
Discourage gossip and redirect the conversation when it comes up. Try to say something kind or understanding about the person the gossip was directed at. Make sure conversations about others only happen when they are necessary, and try to keep them as kind as possible.
Say something encouraging to the mothers and fathers in your park. Parenting is hard. A word of encouragement can go far in lifting their spirits.
Make sure you smile when you see your tenants. Stop and talk when you can. Remember, you are trying to create a warm and welcoming community.
Leave a thank you note when you notice one of your tenants go out of their way to care for the park. Not only is it kind, but it can help lead to a more beautifully-maintained community that will benefit all of you.
Encourage your tenants to care for each other
Host a block party. This is a great way of helping your tenants get to know one another and make new friends.
Encourage neighbors to check in on each other. Let people know if the neighbor next door is elderly, or maybe a new mom. Give them ideas for ways they can help out and be a support. Maybe they are shy or a little unaccustomed to going out of their way. Giving them some clear ways to be kind and caring might be just what they need.
Make kindness a habit
Overall, the most important thing to remember is that kindness should be a habit.
You can’t control other people, but you can lead by example. While some of these may seem a bit overwhelming or a lot of work, the neighborly community that you are trying to create is well worth the effort.
These would be great ideas to share with your park management team as well. Show a little kindness to them by helping them cope with the stress of their responsibilities.
It’s our responsibility to leave the world a little kinder than we found it, and that always has to start with ourselves.
About Dan Paton
