Stories of Kindness from Around the World

On Saturday, I took my car to the drive-through wash.  When you come out the end, there is an attendant who hand-dries the car.  Normally, the person doing this is minimally friendly, but on this day the man on duty was VERY friendly.  He was smiling broadly, handling all the little details in a charming take-charge manner, and making jokes.  I was amused, thinking "he's doing this to get a tip", but I realized that I really enjoyed it.  And I went forward with my day feeling better than before I encountered this man.

Later, after loading my groceries into my car at the market, I was about to roll my cart back to the store. I was thinking "sheesh, this WOULD be a day I parked extra far away. It sure would be nice if someone going in would want this cart and I could give it to them" - when right then an older gentleman heading in to shop asked me if I'd like for him to take my cart.  How nice!  Again, I left feeling happier about the world.

The next day, I was at a nursery looking at flowers I wanted to buy, but this time the man helping me was ubrupt and dismissive of my questions.  As he walked away, I felt crushed!  The excitement of going there to find a particular plant, and the joy of wandering through the beauty there had vanished in an instant.  For several minutes, I turned my thoughts over in my head and finally was able to take a breath and talk myself back into enjoying being there.

Each of these 3 interactions lasted no more than a couple of minutes, yet each had a big effect on how I felt and how I looked at the world.

Another lesson in the simple wisdom of daily life:   Be gentle - it's a HEART that you're touching with your words and actions.