There are a lot of different kinds of people in the world; thoughtful, oblivious, generous, rude, the list goes on. But we all have different things going on in our lives, good and bad. That old saying “never judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes” is true. Many people choose to live doing little things to make others happy here and there, we call these things a random act of kindness. I have been both on the receiving end and the giving end of these instances, and have witnessed their impact. If more people could do these things, the world would be a better place overnight.
Random Act of Kindness
My husband and I try to give as much as we are able to. In our case, this usually means donating things that we no longer need or use to charities like Goodwill or extra canned foods to a food pantry. I shop online to benefit other charities such as St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and we give change to the Salvation Army bell ringers. Since we don’t always have extra to give, the biggest thing we try to do is just be kind in our everyday interactions with others. We say hello or good morning when passing others, wave thank you to people who let us merge into traffic when driving, or cross the road when walking. Very simple things that you will forget later that make another’s day that much better.
There have been several times in the past few months that I have been on the receiving end of a random act of kindness. I can honestly say that it makes my day and sometimes even my week. There is at least one instance that is continually affecting my life still and will for several years to come.
Out for Breakfast
One of my friends came to visit us for a few days. Her and I went to Bob Evan’s for breakfast with my son who was almost 3 months at the time. We hadn’t seen each other much since I had gotten married and moved to a different state, so we spent the time catching up and drinking coffee after we finished eating. When the waitress came to clear the table we chatted for a moment and I mentioned that my husband was in the military and that’s why he wasn’t with us. She came back and gave us the check, we gathered our things and went up to the register to pay.
Only then did we realize that the man who was sitting across from us had followed us up to the register, leaving his food sitting on the table. He had heard me talking about my husband being in the military. That he knew all too well what it was like to have every penny count and that it was always true for a military family. He went on to say that he came to thank our family for our service and was going to pay for our breakfast.
Neither of us had ever had something like that happen before. We thanked him for his support and said that he could never know what his kindness meant. His random act of kindness made our day a great one. I was sick at the time too and having a baby so young and spending more than half my time alone was difficult enough. But this man has made it worth it. He reminded us more than ever that people are still kind to one another and that everyone should do what they can to make each other’s lives easier.
Asking For Opinions
I am a member of a private group for mom’s on Facebook. A friend from high school had invited me when I first had my son. It gives support, answers questions, and supplies a place to vent to others who will understand what you are going through. I was looking for advice on baby carriers for when we moved to our new place. The need for one came about because our new apartment was on the second floor and I was going to need the ability to walk our dog and not leave the baby alone while doing so.
I had a few different things I wanted and looked at the most recommended brands but they were all over $100. After doing research I realized that I would like to get an Ergo. I kept looking and found a $40 Infantino carrier that had good reviews and asked the other moms about it. Within a few minutes I had a few responses saying they had used it and liked it or knew someone who had.
Then a mom commented saying she had several carriers that she was no longer using and that she would send me one. I messaged her privately and she told me she had an ergo and that if I sent her my address she would send it to me for free. She wouldn’t even have me pay for shipping. We talked a bit, I tried my best to express how much this helped our situation. The fact that we are one income and military and how grateful I was for her random act of kindness. She said that our family’s service to the country was thanks enough. Her willingness to help brought tears to my eyes.
The Impact
People like those who I came across make our world a better place. They stop their own lives to give a complete stranger a little bit of kindness. Whenever I encounter a random act of kindness I make a promise to myself to pay it forward. Making others feel the way that these people made me feel is payment enough. Knowing that people are being this generous and kindhearted warms my heart. It makes me so happy to live in this world where we are willing to help complete strangers.
Make sure that you are doing whatever you can as often as possible for others. It is so easy and takes very little effort to make the world a better place. If we do what we can the world can only become a better place. Helping others helps yourself, making your day better as well. We can make the world a better place one random act of kindness at a time.
Tell me about when you have experienced a random act of kindness. Or when you have given one to someone else. I look forward to reading the comments!
