A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way
We live in a time where everything is about technology. With online shopping, Alexa, Siri, Google Home, or Amazon Echo, it sure makes life easier! We even buy our groceries online! Although I think this great, I wonder if are we sacrificing those moments of human interaction.
Sometimes people need that human contact to realize the true importance of human connection. During Advent this past year, I participated in an advent calendar activity where each day you do one thing to make a positive difference, like doing something nice for someone, or volunteering your time. Not only did it remind me how important those moments of interaction are, but also what an impact we can make just by greeting someone with a smile. It also made me more aware of my surroundings. I started to notice little things, such as the moments we spend with people every day.
I recently had the opportunity to witness a conversation between a waitress and gentleman customer. As she approached the table, he said “Good Morning! How are you today?” She seemed to be really overwhelmed but she sighed and looked at him and said, “Good. What would you like?” He replied, “What would you recommend? My wife usually chooses for me, but she wasn’t able to be here today.” She gave him several choices. He placed his order and they continued to engage in conversation. He pulled out his wallet and showed a trifold of pictures and of course she shared pictures from her phone. They talked about how many children they have and continued to exchanged pictures of children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren. She shared how she was a single parent, working two jobs, trying to give her children all the things they need and doing best she could. He talked about how he would be celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary this year. He explained that his wife has Alzheimer’s disease and how she doesn’t get out much anymore. She said, “I’m sorry to hear that, but Congratulations on 50 years!”
He ordered a container of soup and a piece of pie to go and thanked her for her time. She smiled and said, “Thank you!” and wished him well with his wife.
I’m not sure which of them made the other’s day brighter but it sure seemed that each of them took something away from the conversation. After the gentleman left I noticed that she was humming a tune. I don’t know what the connection was between them, but I do know that, in that moment, their lives seemed a little happier. It sure made me smile.
People have struggles we may know nothing about. It was a great reminder for me to make that human connection on a daily basis.
It made me think “Why not do this every month” What could it hurt, or could it help?
An act of kindness doesn’t have to be a monetary gift. It could be a gift of time or even a kind word. Think about a time when you were having a not-so-great day and someone said something to you and changed your whole day in a positive way?
By paying kindness forward, you can make quite an important difference in our communities and our world. Not only will you brighten another person’s mood, but you will also set a chain reaction in motion. If you pay it forward to three people, who again pay it forward to three others themselves, then affecting change doesn’t take much.
Saying thank you to someone for the smallest gesture of kindness or just listening to someone share a moment of their time.
Hold the door for someone.
Let someone in front of you in line.
Say, “Good Morning”… “Good Day”… “How are you?” Tell the person who serves you at the restaurant, convenience store, or bank to “Have a great day!”
We may not be able change the world, but we may be able change one person’s idea of the world, with just a little kindness.
