There are a few big things happening around here right now and we have found ourselves at a crossroads of sorts. I will be writing about it later, but right now it’s too early to be certain of anything. I just wanted to say thank you to a few individuals out there. You know who you are. xo.
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What if someone told you that you had a superpower, and that this superpower gave you the ability to change people’s lives?
It’s Kindness Week here in Ottawa right now. In 2010 I wrote about a time someone unexpected was kind to my family. Last year I wrote a couple posts about smiling. This year I have two posts I want to share with you about kindness. Today I wanted to tell you about something that happened to me a couple of months ago.
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True kindness is unconditional, when someone does something without expectation of receiving anything in return, not even a thank you or even a pat on the back. Kindness without strings attached is the best there is. I don’t like to blog about my own random acts of kindness because I am not very comfortable with doing so and don’t seek praise for my actions. Knowing that I did a good turn for someone is thanks enough, but I’m breaking my rule today because I think simple acts of kindness can have the biggest impact, and I hope my little story reminds people that everyone deserves a little kindness in their lives.
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Kind Ottawa’s motto is “Choose to be kind.” I think this is as close to a perfect idea as it gets. Kindness is the superpower I was talking about above, and it is within every single one of us.
I believe that random acts of kindness have a butterfly effect, and for all we know the effects can be far reaching. Someone does something nice for you and it brightens your mood. You hold the door open for a flustered senior, chat with the girl pouring your coffee, give your seat to someone on the bus. In turn, your action might brighten their day too. And they – hopefully – infect others with their kindness. Who knows what ripples you make in the world when you use your superpower? Maybe it will mean that the flustered senior will make it to his doctor’s appointment on time instead of rushing through a red light and causing a car accident? (Take it from me, who not to long ago was involved in this exact same scenario. I am not even kidding.)
Besides, we never know what’s going on with other people, do we? Maybe the girl who poured your coffee is in an abusive relationship and is fighting to find a way out. Maybe the person who needed the seat on the bus just lost her spouse. Ripples.
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I was second in line at the grocery store, waiting behind an older lady. I couldn’t help but overhear what was transpiring in front of me. The lady did not have enough money to pay for her groceries. There weren’t even a lot of groceries on the counter in front of her – it was groceries for one – the types of things you’d buy if you dined alone.
The three of us stood there in our own silent bubble, staring down at the groceries in question. The cashier didn’t say anything. The lady looked down at the twenty in her hand and back at the groceries, calculating what she could take away from the small pile.
“I guess I won’t take the strawberries,” she said.
The cashier wordlessly picked up the package, passed it back over the scanner, and laid it down on the counter beside her. The new total was within the twenty. The rest of the exchange was unremarkable. The lady gave her the twenty, the cashier gave back some change, a receipt, and wished her a good day. And then it was my turn.
“Can you quickly ring those in for me,” I said, nodding at the strawberries. The cashier looked puzzled. I wonder if she just thought I had a sudden hankering for strawberries. I motioned to the lady, who was still packing her groceries. Signal understood. The cashier passed them back over the scanner and turned to give them to the lady.
“Here,” said the cashier. “Your strawberries.”
The lady looked puzzled. “But…”
The cashier turned back in my direction. “She paid for them.”
The lady and I stared at one another for a tiny second.
“No one should go without strawberries,” I said.
She grasped the package in her hand, thanked me, and left.
The cashier gaped. “That’s the nicest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said.
Hearing that made me a little sad, and it still tugs at me a little. If that was the nicest thing she’s ever seen, what kind of world are we living in?
