A terrible tragedy occurred last month, when another school shooting happened in Florida. Several people were killed and the nation was wounded … again.

We all wish this would stop happening. We wish that we could send our kids to school and not have to worry about their safety. We want teachers to spend their time teaching, instead of learning evasive maneuvers (last week my child’s kindergarten class learned how to hide behind the teacher’s desk). We want our kids to be able to carry a backpack around school.

I ran the Boston Marathon the year before the bombings.

I walked the street in Spain one week before a terrorist drove his car over crowds of people.

The terrible truth is that bad things happen to good people. What can we do?

On March 14, students around the state (and nation) plan on walking out of school. It will be the one month anniversary of the Florida school shooting. They want to remember the lives of those who died. They want to spur Congress to take action. They want more gun laws. They want less school shootings. They want safer schools.

I wish that enacting stricter gun control laws could keep bad people from doing bad things. I wish that an act of Congress could prevent future pain and suffering. I would support a law if I thought it would help. I would support an action if I thought it would make a difference.

But what would make a difference?

Our kids want to walk out of school next week. I admire that they are interested and care about safety. I am proud that they want to exercise their right to free speech. But how does walking out of school help? Wouldn’t it be better to take positive action? Wouldn’t it make a bigger impact if kids stayed in school and practiced 17 acts of kindness, to honor those who died in Florida?

Let’s take action. Let’s overwhelm fear and sadness with love and kindness.

What are your ideas?