Stories of Kindness from Around the World

One of my pleasures has always been to make friends out of people I encounter on a regular basis.  This has sometimes led to wonderful unexpected gifts beyond the obvious happiness of setting up outposts of friends. 

10 years ago, I was a "career professional" working as a programmer in a bank.  Like many people, I was unhappy in my job, feeling completely unfulfilled, and occasionally having anxiety attacks about my life passing by without meaning.

Banks have a strange corporate structure, doling out the title of "Vice President" rather liberally to miscellaneous positions of middling authority.  My job had been bestowed with this aggrandizement.  It not only seemed ridiculous to me, but became a source of irritation when I'd watch someone greet me respectfully, then turn around and respond dismissively to a fellow employee.  In reaction to this obvious inequity, I made it a point to be even more respectful towards the lowest ranking individuals. 

One of these was the security guard who oversaw the parking lot of the building where my office was located.  This man was consistently gracious to everyone and it was easy to think of him as a friend.

During this time, I had two dogs, one of which was very old, blind and deaf, with a bad heart.  I couldn't leave him at home alone so I began sneaking him and my other dog into my office every day.  My "partner in crime" was this security guard, who became the lookout as I carried one dog and led the other quickly inside and shut the door.  These were 50 lb dogs, so it wasn't like slipping in chihuahuas!

One day, the guard popped his head in my office and tossed a newspaper on my desk.  "You should do this", he called over his shoulder, heading out and closing the door behind him.  On the front page was an article about doggie day care, which described how the concept was spreading across the country. 

For years, friends has told me that I should work with animals, but I had no clue as to how to make that happen. I had wanted to be a vet as a kid, but had not followed that dream and being middle-aged, it was not an easy turnaround to make.  The doggie day care, though, suddenly seemed like the answer to my dreams.

I immediately began researching the idea and incredibly, information, opportunities and assistance began coming my way from every direction.  It was as if I had been locked in a room and pushed on every door except the right one, and now it swung open.   The financing was suddenly available, the right realtor, the right property - everything.  And 6 months after my guard-friend's suggestion, I had left my dreadful corporate job and opened the first doggie day care in my city!  A decade later, I'm still running this business, coming to work in jeans and tennis shoes instead of skirts and heels and surrounded by what I love - dozens of dogs!

I've lost touch with the man who started me on this path, but there's not a day that goes by that I don't thank him in my heart.