So I'm in the lab today, yet again, working on my fourth year project with my group members putting together a proposal due next week. I'm not much of a newspaper person, but with it being so convenient on the internet, I browse it pretty often during the day. One of the things I really enjoy reading, aside from Ellie, is the Kindness column. Where people write about random acts of kindness they encountered.
So here I am in the lab, reading, and blinking back some tears at times... Yea, I'm an emotional bundle like that, I read something that touches me, and I immediately think back to a scenario or memory that puts myself in that position. Of course, I had to stop several times, so that my group members wouldn't think that it was their grammatical critique that caused these "almost tears."
Anyway, what I like most about this column, is that sometimes there is little you can do about your situation. No matter what the situation is. Whether it be being in a new country, unfamiliar customs, making mistakes or just plain bad luck. Sometimes there is nothing you can do about your situation, but just suck it up or let it pass (and hope it passes relatively quickly and painlessly). And then someone, just does something, that just changes or brightens your day, and sometimes, that pick-me-up is all that you need to summon up your strength, stand up tall, and keep moving forward. These are some of the stories that I really enjoyed from today:
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About 25 years ago, when I was 8, my mother gave me $20 to go to the store. This was the first time she had trusted me with this chore and I wanted her to be proud. Somehow I lost the money between the house and the store. I walked back and forth hoping to find it, but finally gave up.
I sat on the curb crying and trying to figure out what to say to my mother when a woman approached and asked why I was crying. I told her the story.
She comforted me and offered me the money, but I told her I could not take it. But she told me to trace my steps and promised I would find the money.
I walked all the way to store again, but there was no money. But on my way home I found it on the ground. Back then I believed I had found the $20 I lost.
Now I believe the women left it for me to find. That kind women not only gave me $20, but also gave me sense that no matter what happens things will work out if you have faith. Which I still believe today. Nancy Wade, Toronto
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Many years ago, my oldest daughter Kate was dating a guy in her high school, who was older than her.
I have five daughters, so having Ken over was a treat and it was good to have some male companionship. However, they ended up breaking up right before Ken left for university.
I was planning on cleaning out the garage that summer, a mammouth task given that we had accumulated a lot of junk over the years. Ken had initially promised to help me, but I decided not to ask for his help.
That morning, he happened to be in the neighbourhood, and noticed that I was moving the junk on my own. He asked why I didn't call him, and after some stuttering, he understood and just put on his gloves and workboots. It took less time, and it was great to have him. It was a real act of kindness on his part.
3 summers later, I welcomed him back into my house, as my new son-in-law.
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On one of the first beautiful days of spring, I took my baby grandson for a walk in Don Mills.
A black van pulled in beside me and the driver began to talk about the baby's shoes. I was surprised but he pointed out that one was missing. He had noticed it lying on the road because he has a baby about the same age.
The shoe was some distance away, but he insisted on retrieving it and gallantly returned a few minutes later. A gentleman indeed.
Gillian Trout, Mississauga
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It was 21 years ago I was young and had a new baby. I had very little cash and struggled with the price of formula, diapers and just the cost of life in general.
I had the most amazing doctor who had the best nurse in the world. I would go for a check up and she would give me formula saying it came from the salesmen and 'Take it, or it will go to waste.'
She never made me feel like I was taking a handout. Another time she handed me an envelope and said not to open it until I got home. It had some money in it. I tried to pay her back and she told me to just pay it forward.
This act of kindness left me with a lifetime of respect for her. I think of her often and if I find myself in the position of being able to help someone I do and smile to myself and say if only she knew how much has come from her kind actions.
Lisa Rice, Mississauga
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