I walk with a cane to keep from falling, and people, young and old, hold doors for me, even though I can open a door on occasion. They allow me to go first in line, they pick up anything I might drop – all wonderful examples of unnecessary kind behavior.
Recently, I was at the Publix grocery store and when I came out my car battery was dead. No noise from the engine. I got out and raised my hood and immediately a Publix employee who was returning baskets came to my aid. Luckily, she had cables in her car, but she needed to get permission to pause in her grocery duties to help me. I walked with her to talk to her boss and of course, being Publix, they said it was OK. (They are big on making customers happy.) She brought the cables but was unsure of what to do, when a young man pulled up beside my car and asked if I needed help. He charged my car and off I went to my home, but not before I hugged that sweet employee and tell her I thought she was wonderful. I also thanked that young man for coming to my aid.
When I got home, I went to see my neighbor across the hall. He, of course, offered to help but the car needed another charge and he had no cables. The landscape people were there, eating lunch in their trucks, and they offered to charge my car. More kindness to a stranded old woman!!!
My neighbor lent me the money until pay day to get another battery. He has been so helpful over the last 2 years that I have known him. He just gives – never wants anything in return. He had come over just last Sunday night to fix the smoke alarms that were beeping. I had gone over to borrow a step ladder and he would not hear of my fixing them. He is the definition of kindness.
I have another neighbor who was with me the night my little Pekinese dog died. She was a nurse and she checked him out and assured me he was not in pain. The next day she drove me to the crematorium in another county. I was so distraught I did not even remember how we got there. So, when the apartment office exhibited “unkindness” by refusing to accept my dog’s ashes the next day, this dear neighbor went back with me to make sure I could find the crematorium. She has been there to listen when I needed to talk about my dear little friend. A very kind person.
Kindness lives in most people. I for one am going to remember all of these things when the “unkind” people in this world mouth off. I believe there are more kind people out there than unkind ones. They just do not get the press that they deserve. Our world focuses too much on the bad. But from now on, I am going to focus on all of the kindnesses that people have shown me. The unkind people are not worth one thought.