This past Saturday, I needed to go to the post office. As I got out of the car, I could see a table set up out front, surrounded by a gaggle of women and kids. I cringed, hoping I could get inside without being noticed, but a little girl of nine or ten was too quick for me. "Excuse me!" she said, walking up to me, holding a small package. "Here we go..." I sighed to myself. I really hate being approached by strangers (sadly, even children if they're going to hit me up for money). As I was getting ready to say no thank you to whatever she was selling, she held out her hand and said, "This is for you." She gave me little bag of candy tied with a curly ribbon. I was waiting for the, "We're raising money for orphaned monkeys" or some such thing, but all she said was, "It's Random Acts of Kindness Week." Not being as quick as I used to be, it took a moment for me to process this unprecedented event. I was momentarily baffled, but it finally got through the fog of my cynicism--I had been
given something without an attached obligation. What a pleasant surprise!
I was about to go into the post office, but someone was opening the door to leave, so I paused. Another surprise! No one was leaving; the doors were being held open for me by two teen-aged girls. I thanked them, and they even said, "You're welcome"! It was like slipping into some courteous alternate universe.
As I waited on line, I heard a man come in who was obviously irritated. He'd brushed past the kids and their random acts of gift-giving, grumbling loud enough for everyone to hear, "No, I don't want anything. I want to be left alone!" My first thought was that he was a real jerk. I'll
avoid kids who are asking for donations, or selling candy, but there's no reason to be rude to them. Either way, if he had misunderstood their intentions, or had understood but was having a terrible day, it was his loss.
After I'd purchased a book of stamps and mailed my letters, I moved down the counter to get myself organized. A little voice next to me said, "Do you need stamps?" I turned to see a dark-haired little boy of four or five, holding two books of stamps. I explained to him that I had just bought stamps, so maybe he could save them for someone else. This made no sense to him. He'd been instructed to give someone free stamps. No one had told him what to do if the stamps were refused. Who turns away free stuff?! He shook his head, no. "One stamp?" I explained that the stamps were stickers that need to stay stuck to the backing. He checked to see if I was right. He pulled off a stamp and shyly held it out for me. What could I do? I put out a finger so he could put a stamp on it. He smiled. He had done his job and all was right with the world. I, on the other hand, had my hands full with a stamp stuck to my right forefinger. As I was leaving, I overheard a woman, "Are they giving away stamps?" The whole odd experience left me smiling, with an unaccountable and silly catch in my throat.
The official Random Acts of Kindness Week is over, but hopefully the ripples from those little acts are still spreading.
Blossom International organized the group I encountered. I found another site,
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation for anyone looking for ideas or resources.
That best portion of a good man's life: his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.
--
William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850)
Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.
Wordsworth (1770 - 1850)
--
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)