Observations and Ruminations

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Random Act of Kindness

I love this term and just having it as a prompt already makes me feel better. At my very core I believe that you feel better if you do something selfless. Although some psychologists believe there is no selfless act - that everything we do is based on the betterment of ourselves, however I do not necessarily subscribe to that thinking.

It seems to me that speaking of your random act is a bit self serving and goes against the point. However, this is a blog and I will share. Unfortunately I do not perform enough of these acts and probably a main reason is I just don't think about it. Sad.

Every morning on my way to work I drive through Tim Horton's to get a large cup of back coffee ($2.01). A few weeks ago I came to the window and was told that the car in front of me paid for my order. I never saw the person or recognized the car. What a TREAT! It changed my entire mood. So now (every so often) I pay for the order of the person behind me and then quickly drive away without looking back. I know it is a little thing but I sincerely hope that person feels the way I did when I received the surprise.

I would like to share a moment when I did not have a positive experience. There are several homeless people in my neighborhood. One has become a staple of the streets, being seen regularly and helped by the community. We call him Sylvester. He obviously has significant mental health issues. I was getting gas last year and it was extremely cold out. Sylvester walked over asking for money. Just so happened that all i had was a $20 and I worried about how cold he must be. I gave hime the $20 and wished him a good day. At that point he hugged me. I should have felt good making him feel good..instead I was horrified that he touched me. I was concerned that he hadn't washed and stupidly could only think about him as dirty and me as clean. It bothers me so much that I felt that way, that I am one of "those" people.

Yes, I am flawed and a work in progress.....