Stories of Kindness from Around the World

It was a beautiful morning, uncharacteristically warm and sunny for this time of year.  I was in the middle of a hectic day, packed full of activities and errands, with my mind on what I had to do next.  As I drove along a very busy road to my next destination, I noticed a young child wearing a bike helmet walking out from the entrance of an apartment complex on the other side of the street. 

The complex was surrounded by woods on both sides and the entrance was obscured by trees and bushes.  I couldn't see beyond the entrance but I hoped that his family was there, just out of sight, about to emerge behind him.  He was young, maybe four years old, and it was a strange sight to see him alone near the busy street, even if just for a little while.  I continued to look behind me but I didn't see anyone else coming out to join him as cars zipped past him.  Then, I saw him turning around and running back toward the entrance.  I felt relieved, as I hoped that he was heading back towards his family.  

Still, I felt I should check to be sure he was safe and did a U-turn as soon as I was able.  As I drove back to where I initially saw him, I was expecting to see him safe, surrounded by family.  Instead, as I got closer, I saw that he had changed directions again, crossed the median and was quickly running in the opposite direction of the apartment buildings.  I pulled my car over quickly and as I did so, all the cars on both sides of the street suddenly stopped as well, as if just registering the potential danger of the situation.

I crossed the street and went up to him.  He stopped as I approached, looking at me cautiously and backed away slightly towards the road.  I didn't want to scare him so I crouched down a bit and asked him where his parents were but he did not answer.  Instead, he said he was going to where his dad works and then continued to run away from me along the median.  At this point, a man in another car asked if I needed help and I said yes.  He got out, caught up with the boy and scooped him up.  At about the same time, I heard shouting far behind me and I saw the boy's father racing towards us and calling out his son's name.

Father and son were reunited, walking hand in hand down the median back to their apartment.  I smiled and wished them well and his father thanked me for my help.  The young boy also smiled shyly at me.  Back in my car, I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting my body relax and letting go of the fear I felt seeing the young boy in danger.  I felt relief that he was now safe with his dad and that everything had turned out ok.  I also felt a greater sense of clarity and peace as all of the other activities of my day suddenly seemed less urgent and I was reminded of what is most important in life.