The Kindness of Sharing Helpful Hints

"The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises."
― Leo Buscaglia

I have a mom friend who is pretty amazing.  She has four children, a job, and a husband, and she runs an amazing household.  One of the best things about her is that she doesn't do drama.  Her approach to life is straight forward.  She believes in helping people whenever she can.  A couple of years ago, she was a huge help to me when I took over a volunteer position that she had previously held.  She always whispered helpful reminders in my ear.

A few weeks ago, I ran into her at the grocery store and lamented that I had not brought my list.  She shared that she takes a photo of the grocery list with her mobile phone, so that if she has a chance to stop at the store, she can get what she needs -- minus an item or two that might have been added since the photo was taken. 

As I walked through the grocery store this evening looking at the photo of my list on my phone, I remembered again the kindness of this wonderful woman and was grateful for her friendship.

The Kindness of Cheering Someone On

"Love is cheering and sharing and compassion and giving and receiving.  Love is an action thing more than a word thing, that brings comfort or joy or relief to anyone or anything."
― Ziggy Marley

A woman I know was beginning a new venture.  She was nervous as she traveled to another city to get her project started.  But through it all, she had a virtual cheering squad.  Via text, she received incredibly encouraging messages from her friends.  They made her feel as though she was not alone.

Kindness at the Hotel

"Customer service is just a day in, day out ongoing, never ending, unremitting, persevering, compassionate, type of activity."
― Leon Gorman

On a recent business trip, I needed a cab to go to a meeting.  One of the bellboys at the hotel put me in a car that was not a cab, but that he said operated the same way.  It did not have a meter, but the bellboy said that the driver would charge me $15 to where I was going.  Off we went.  I had the directions, but the driver was not keen on following them.  He had no idea where we were going and said he would charge me $30, then it became $50...  Because he ignored my directions, we ended up having to backtrack and the trip took much longer.  When we finally arrived at the destination, the person I was meeting told the driver that the trip should cost no more than $30.  That is what I paid him.

The next morning as I was checking out of the hotel, I mentioned what happened to the front desk manager.  He was very apologetic.  He walked me to the hotel entrance and put me in a cab himself.  He also credited $30 to my hotel bill for my negative experience with the ride the night before.

I already am a big fan of this hotel chain -- yoga mats and M&Ms are draws for me.  But this manager's kindness and great customer service really stood out. 

Surprise Kindness with Perfect Timing

"There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved."
― Charles Morgan

A woman I know was just beginning a new job, working remotely, when -- surprise -- her phone died on her first day working from home.  She wanted to burst out crying although she remembered that 10 years before on her first day of a previous job -- also working from home -- her Internet connection had not worked.  She tried to breathe, to think calmly, to accept that there was only so much she could do...  Then someone arrived at her door with a beautiful orchid.  It was sent by a couple of very special friends to wish her well on her new job.  She almost burst out crying -- but this time it was from how touched she was by the very unexpected and perfectly timed kindness of her friends.

The Kindness of Making It Easy to Ask for Help

"Not only do I think being nice and kind is easy but being kind, in my opinion, is important."
― Dwayne Johnson

Being a working mom usually requires some juggling and back-up.  Traveling takes it to another level.  Before traveling for business this week, I began lining up my helpers.  One of my favorite go-to moms texted me:  "Perfecto.  I am ready to report for duty."  It is difficult for me to ask for help, but this mom makes it much easier -- and has me laughing in the process.

Kindness on the Street

“If you walk down the street and smile at someone, that will get passed on to the next person.  That has the power to change someone’s day.”

-- Julianna Margulies

Riding in a cab, I saw a woman with a child in a running stroller struggling to hold on to the stroller while she also held open the door to a convenience store.  The door to the store was awkwardly positioned off a sidewalk with an incline, so the woman had to hang on to the stroller so that it would not roll away.  I wondered what she was doing until I saw that she was holding the door open for a man in a wheelchair.  Once he went safely inside, she continued on her jog.

Kindness at the Hair Salon

"Daily love and kindness are the path to a happy life."
―Amy Leigh Mercree

I rarely get my hair cut -- maybe twice a year.  But in anticipation of important business meetings next week, I decided to schedule a trim. 

As I was leaving the house to run several errands before my hair appointment, I received a call from a close relative saying that she was ill.  I ended up taking this relative to a nearby Urgent Care Center.  Thankfully, it was nothing serious, but I was late for my appointment.  I called the salon to let my hair stylist know. 

When I arrived at the salon, I apologized to my stylist and told him that he could just cut my hair and not dry it.  He would not hear of it.  (I felt badly as I overhead him and the scheduler push back an appointment.)  As I apologized again, he told me not to worry and thanked me for calling ahead so that they could move his next appointment a little.  A very nice guy, he was beyond gracious with me.  At no moment did he seem rushed and he took his time drying my hair.

I was so grateful for the stylist's kindness.  Although my relative did not have anything serious, it is always stressful to be worried about a loved one's health.  And a Saturday afternoon at a salon is not the time to be late.