This morning started out like most mornings…me struggling to get up to exercise with an overwhelming desire to call out sick. While somehow I mustered up the energy for the physical activity, I never did call out sick. Good thing I suppose, because I was treated to an early morning dose of kindness I wouldn’t have otherwise received had I stayed home.
The previous afternoon, my wife had a very minor dermatological procedure done and was in need of a small, round, clear band aide to protect the surface of the wound. She was all ready to play arts and crafts with a much larger band aide – even though I assured her it would only draw more attention to the area she was now trying to hide.
So with some time on my hands before work, I figured I’d extend a dose of kindness and make my way to the store for a pack of clear band aids to help her cause.
I had about 15 minutes to spare and thought for sure that was plenty of time. My first stop was a local supermarket. Can I tell you just how many different varieties of band aids they make now? My God, you could find just about every imaginable style and color, but guess what they didn’t have? Small, round, clear band aids. How is that possible?
So I headed off to my local big chain pharmacy, praying they had what I needed. After wandering around for 5 minutes trying to find the band aide aisle, I finally did and to my delight they has a pack of 30 small, round, clear band aids. But the real miracle here was when I went up to the register.
I handed the nice woman my box of band aids and she immediately said, “hang on a minute!” I thought maybe she recognized my face on a wanted poster or something the way she ran from the register. But what she was doing was printing me out a coupon from the in store shopping club which made those band aids FREE!
Was this possible? And if that wasn’t “sweet” enough, another coupon linked to the program provided me with a FREE candy bar. What a way to start the morning!!!
So instead of paying about $6 for everything, I paid 8 cents. Actually, I didn’t even pay that! She told me, “forget about it, I’ll find a dime on the floor.”
So by now you’re all probably asking yourselves, “what’s the point?” Well folks, it’s simple really. Some days you’re feeling a little down in the dumps – pissed off at just about everyone for no apparent reason. And believe me, once you start your day like that, you end it that way. What a waste when you think about it.
But sometimes, we’re sent a little dose of kindness during these times and before you know it you find yourself smiling as that negative exterior seems to melt away. It’s truly amazing what a simple act of kindness can do to another person – to a total stranger even.
“A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.” Charles H. Spurgeon
