Kindness at the Post Office

"Happiness exists on earth, and it is won through the prudent exercise of reason, knowledge of the harmony of the universe, and constant practice of generosity."
~ José Martí

The other day I was at the post office toward the end of the day accompanied by a jittery child.  There was only one window open and the line was long.  The gentleman in front of me had a cart full of packages to send.  It was sheer music to my ears when he told me to go ahead of him.  I thanked him and quickly accepted.

The Kindness of a Thank You Treat

"The purest and thoughtful minds are those which love color the most."
~ John Ruskin

On a recent weekend, one of my children was invited to a birthday party at a location some distance from where we live.  Another mother suggested that we carpool, so she took a group of children to the party, and I picked them up and took them home.  When we arrived at the house of one of the girls, her mother was standing outside with a small ramekin filled with delicious treats -- Manchego cheese and crushed almond-covered quince skewers.  She gave them to me as a thank you for bringing her daughter.  I was floored by this mother's thoughtfulness -- and culinary creativity. 

A Long-Ago, but Precious Kindness

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."
~ Henry Adams

One of my dearest friends, a very bright attorney, recently shared with me that he did not learn to read until 2nd Grade.  He said that somehow no one had noticed that he could not read until a nun at his new school realized it.  Sister T pulled him out of class every day and little by little taught him how to read.  She would use flash cards and bake him brownies as reward for his progress.  By 6th Grade, he was reading more than 100 books each year and he has not stopped reading since.  I remarked that without Sister T's help, he probably would not have gone to law school.  "Law school?" he said, "I probably would not have gone to college."  He said that she made a critical difference in his life because not only did he learn to read and eventually choose a career that required being a good reader, but also he loves to read and has very high reading comprehension.  Although this kindness took place more than 40 years ago, he still remembers the nun's name and the tremendous impact that she made.  My friend says that other than his family, Sister T has had the biggest influence on his life.

The Kindness of a Question

"Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful."
~ Margaret J. Wheatley

I recently had lunch with two friends to celebrate my lovely friend's birthday.  Not surprisingly, it was the birthday girl who gave us a gift -- a question.  She asked us, "Is there anything that you wish you were doing now that you're not?"  That took us down several paths, which included the dream of a tiny house and living closer to nature, more yoga...  The best thing that it did was to make us reflect.  As busy as we all are, sometimes we are just going and going, and we don't stop to think about what is important to us and what makes us truly happy.  I asked my lovely friend about her question the following day and she said, "I don't like to be on automatic pilot!"  I have since asked other friends the same question.  Thanks to my lovely friend, I know that some of us are checking in with ourselves in a way that perhaps we have not for a while.

The Kindness of Vitamin F

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
~ Marcel Proust

A couple of weeks ago, I had lunch with a friend from childhood (high school, really, but at this point, that seems like childhood).  I had not been in a great mood, but having lunch with  him completely lifted my spirits.  We laughed as we always do and we could have talked for several hours more.  I spoke to him recently and told him how much I had enjoyed our lunch.  And he said, "Yes, we all need Vitamin F -- Friends."  He went on to tell me how he organizes whatever he can, comes up with whatever excuse, to make sure that he gets enough Vitamin F.  I am all for constant consumption of this miracle vitamin!

The Kindness of Feedback

"Give back in some way.  Always be thoughtful of others."
~ Jackie Joyner-Kersee

The other day at an event, I ran into a woman who lives in Savannah.  She is the sister of a friend and over the years we have coincided at family gatherings.  In fact, I probably met her at a wedding about 16 years ago and last saw her at a funeral a couple of years ago.  The last time I saw her, we had a very nice conversation and I must have mentioned my blog because when I saw her recently, she told me that she enjoys reading it.  Naturally, and as any writer can imagine, I was delighted.  It was such a thoughtful thing for her to mention to me.

Kindness in an Office Elevator

"A warm smile is the universal language of kindness."
~ William Arthur Ward

In an office building lobby recently, I pressed the button for the elevator.  It turns out that a gentleman was already on the elevator with the doors closing when I inopportunely pressed the button.  I apologized to him, but he was very cheery and said, "Great -- you got it.  Otherwise, you would have been waiting for a while."  His friendliness made me smile.