Kindness is Love.

In true Kind Cotton fashion when releasing a new tee we have a story behind it. This time we are extra excited because you were all a part of telling it. We challenged you to tell us what kindness means to you because we wanted to create a tee that fully exemplifies our purpose. 

5 words were chosen and, in anticipation the release date, we are here to take a deeper look into each word you came up with. First up:

Kindness is Love.

We’ve all experienced that serendipitous moment in which two completely separate lives collide for the first time. You know the scene. You smile just a little bigger when your new crush’s name is mentioned, your skin instantly heats up as they enter a room, and you start questioning each interaction you have in hopes you didn’t just sound like Screech from Saved by the Bell trying to pick up Lisa Turtle.

When Kev and I met eleven years ago I knew I loved him, but never did I imagine our love would take on many different forms. That our love would outgrow the butterflies and stand the test of time. That we’d go from staying up all night lying in each other’s arms because we couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing one another for another 5 days to sneaking in a kiss here and there while we try relentlessly to grab just a few moments of shut eye. 

It all started in the summer of 2009. I was at my best friends house frantically rummaging through her racks of clothes trying to find the perfect outfit. This was no easy task considering my friend had an entire bedroom as a closet. I’m talking Carrie Bradshaw amount of clothes here. I was going to an outdoor bonfire with some coworkers so I couldn’t wear your typical little black dress. Instead I settled for a ripped pair of skinny jeans and a tie dyed tank. There were about 6 of us going to the party together, Kevin included. Tonight was the night to impress him. I was determined that at the end of this evening I’d feel like Cinderella (kissed at midnight and all). However, as we walked the dark winding path that appeared to be never-ending, I stumbled and fell in a hole about 6 feet deep. Covered head to toe in mud, I felt that kiss slowly slipping away. Then, right there in that mud pit a hand reached in to pull me out. The thought of having to sit through a party after I just made a complete fool of myself in front of a boy I liked felt like torture to a neurotic 22 year old me. However, I was never made to feel uncomfortable because in that moment Kevin decided to skip out on all the illegal beer drinking and go home with mud covered me. It was right then and there I knew his kind heart, but it wasn’t until years later I recognized that kindness goes far beyond passing up alcohol and rescuing you from a hole.

"But unconditional love? That's true kindness."

In the 10 years we’ve been together I’m not putting on a show when I tell you that I can count on one hand the amount of fights we’ve been in. Sure, every relationship has its challenges, but ours has been smooth sailing. And I’m not talking boring sailboat sailing either. I’m talking night-out-on-the-cruise-ship-dance-till-2am-but-not-getting-seasick smooth sailing. Yes, after all this time there is still quite a spark between us, which is about as much as I’ll write considering I know our moms are the first to read our blogs. My point is that throughout all the years one thing remained the same; the love. 

Then the most incredibly beautiful, life changing event took place. We went from a family of three (our pup counts of course) to a family of four. It has been within the past two months that our love has shifted, but in the most fulfilling ways imaginable. We have been up all night taking turns caring for our little one. Nevertheless in the quiet moments we still find time to embrace. Nowadays instead of picking out the hottest new outfit I can put on to impress Kev, I’m praying that my shirt only has breast milk on it as opposed to a mix of that and last nights half eaten dinner and yet, to Kevin, I’m still beautiful . And now instead of having the hots for my husband, I have night sweats that soak through about 4 sets of clothes each day all the while he’s dressed as if it’s winter in Iceland. With all these changes, the important things have remained the same. Our bond has become more powerful, stronger. The unknown is exciting. The passion is thrilling. But unconditional love? That’s true kindness. 

We want to thank all of you for helping us dive deeper into the meaning behind true kindness. This new release is going to be the best yet and it’s because of your input and continued support of what we do.