Earlier this week I had my red Subaru Outback loaded with garbage bags of donations for Goodwill. I decided to check and see if the donation trailer in the Walmart parking lot was open instead of taking the load to the store. I had to pick up some mulch to use around my Little Free Library and thought I could kill two birds with one stone so to speak.
The rain was threatening to come and I was trying to get my 5 stops done before the deluge set in. It made sense to try to consolidate trips .
As I pulled up to the trailer I was pleased to see the Open sign and the doors wide open . I pulled up along side and started to unload my bags with the help of the Goodwill employee. I am always happy to share with Goodwill because they employ folks that may not have a job otherwise. I know there are a lot of different places to donate to and I have highlighted a couple here on the blog before including #GiveBackBox and StandWith#Malala. There are literally dozens of places that take clothing donations even here in our smallish town so I try to rotate my donations.
But I digress.
As I was unloading my bags I was approached by an older gentleman who had pulled his pick up truck close to to my Subaru in the parking lot. Now if you know me well you know that I always have conversations with older men. Always have and always will. I have some kind of “old guy” attraction. The “old” adjective is getting a little different as I get older myself but anyone older than me is “older” , right?
So Mr. Pick Up Truck asked me if I lived in Connestee Falls and I answered yes. He said he had followed me down the mountain and I got a little nervous and said “I hope I was driving okay”. He responded that I was driving fine but he wanted to tell me about my lights. Apparently one of my front lights was out and he noticed that as I braked around the many curves coming down the mountain that one of my front lights was lit up and one wasn’t.
Ah ha. Now it made sense. I have these cool lights on my car that light up when I go around corners. So if I am going left the left one lights up to highlight that area. If I am turning to the right it illuminates the right. I don’t have to do a thing. The car just does it. Couple that with using my brakes as I was cornering and he thought I had some weird car with a light out. Alternating lights out actually. Mystery solved.
A conversation ensued and Mr. Pick Up Truck was a pretty neat guy who had taken the time to try to let a fellow neighbor know that her car was not working right. Well, it was, but you get what I mean. He went out of his way to take the time to let me know of a potential problem. How often does that happen anymore?
Maybe it is small town living.
Maybe it is the Southern culture.
Maybe somehow he knew that we had a common connection –Alabama.
Maybe it was just his normal thing to do.
Regardless I found it refreshing.
It was kind of the extraordinary in the ordinary.
It was a wonderful five minutes spent talking to a new friend.
Life is too short, my friends, to not take the time to reach out and do a kindness to someone.
And guess what? You don’t have to live in Brevard, NC to do it.
You can make a difference right where you are at today.
So what are you going to do today to share a kindness? Leave me a comment in the comment section and let me know what kindness you will share today. All comments go to support our Comments for a Cause –Railway Children.
10 Comments
Leave a commentThe world can never have to many kind acts and reports of the kindness received.
I could not have said it any better, Bernadette!
That was so kind of your neighbor! He was looking out for you. Motor Man and I try to do random acts of kindness whenever we spot an opportunity. Sometimes, I’ll offer to take the shopping cart back in the store (from the parking lot) when the previous user has finished with it. Especially if it’s an older person. There’s that word “older”…. And, if no other opportunity presents itself, I smile and speak to everyone who’ll make eye contact with me through the day. Even if they don’t smile or speak back!
Yes! Yes! Yes! You, Dianna, are just the perfect example and your smile would certainly brighten up anyone’s day. You are the living random acts of kindness lady along with Motor Man. One of these days I am going to meet you in person and see that sparkling smile for myself. Thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate it more than you know!
It would be so nice to meet in person! I’m looking forward to that: perhaps a trip to the Outer Banks, so we could show you the wild horses???
Yes. That is definitiely on the table for someday.
I love this stuff! You don’t get this much in NYC!
love this story. Today I sent a get well card to a friend who just had surgery yesterday for breast cancer.
I love stories like this. I let a fellow go ahead of me at the supermarket as he only had a bottle of water and I had quite a few items. He was very appreciative. He may have been on a break from work while I am retired. I also sent a sympathy card to my ex husband and his sister as their mother passed away. She was my first mother-in-law and had always been very kind to me.
I used to have a Buick that did that, shone a light in the direction my turn signals were on. I liked it. Now days the cars we looked at didn’t have that. Miss it.
Years and years ago I was traveling across the Upper Peninsula for work. It was a desolate drive, a couple hours through wetlands and woods, and this car was behind me the whole way. I’d slow down, he’d slow down. I sped up, he sped up. He actually followed me into the parking lot of the bank that I was going to for a meeting. I was FREAKED OUT. Turns out he wanted to tell me that one of my tires was low. Sigh of relief.