Random Acts of Kindness

Image from PenandBell.com

My friend MJ has a terrific blog about raising her daughter - BumpyRoadtoBubba - and in it she mentions random acts of kindness and how she tries to do them as often as possible.  I agree with the endeavour but inevitably wait for the opportunity instead of just doing it...which is the true test of being random.

 

This afternoon I was offered the perfect chance to put myself out there and do something totally unexpected.  I was leaving 'Sam, The  Cake Man's' shop - which by the way has the BEST pastries on the North Shore - and rain had just started to come down hard.  My trip across the parking lot wasn't going to present a problem because I had the foresight to carry my umbrella.  As I came out of the shop I noticed this young woman standing under the building overhang.  She looked worried and was checking her watch and looking out at the rain pounding the expansive parking lot.  There I was with my bags of shopping in hand and my rather large umbrella - safe - with not too far to go.  I thought, "I should see if I can help, maybe she's going my way".  So I walked up and offered to shelter her to her car.  Wow, she looked surprised!  "Are you sure?"  "Yes, come on let's go".

Off we walked through the driving rain huddled under my umbrella.  We passed my car, then passed the middle of the car park and kept on walking.  She was lovely, talked about her kids and how much she appreciated my help....and we kept walking.  Finally with the rain now pelting down and almost to the end of the car park we came to her car.  She said another heartfelt thanks and asked, "which car is yours?".  I said, "Oh, its just back a piece".

 

I turned and started back to my car which was up near the shop and the rain got heavier.  At one point a gust of wind caught the umbrella, whipped it back from my hands, dumped water all over my back and left me standing there in the driving rain.  Stunned at first into a shocked WTF expression I then burst out laughing!  And laughed all the way back to the car.

 

Arriving home wet and cold - but still feeling good - I knew it could all be fixed with a cup of tea, chocolate cookie and Molly wagging her tail.  Kindness feels good.