If you want to make a difference in someone’s life be like the stranger I encountered. This week I was the lucky recipient of a random act of kindness. I was at a wine shop ordering 80 bottles… it’s for my wedding. I don’t have a severe drinking problem; I’m not married yet so I don’t need one… I mean… While I was putting in my order, there was a customer in the store picking up a box of wine he had made and as he left, he walked by me, handed me a bottle and said, “Congratulations.” I was so stunned I simply said thank you as he walked away. It wasn’t until a couple seconds after that it really hit me. This random person just gave me a gift that’s worth $5-$30 for no real reason… unless he figures getting married means I’ll need to drink a lot. As I stood there baffled, I started trying to justify his kind act in my head because it didn’t make sense. My only real conclusion, however, was that he just did a completely selfless act to be kind to a stranger. There was no tax credit for this; there was no fanfare; there wasn’t even a big moment of appreciation. There wasn’t even a pretty girl there he was trying to impress. He was just being kind. To add to this, as he walked away, he said it was really good wine. He gave me a nice wine, so it wasn’t even like they botched the batch and he was going to throw it out anyway. I don’t even think he heard me mention that my fiancé and I are trying to keep costs down because the budget is like XS spandex shorts on a fifty year old man who’s never exercised before… you’re welcome for that visual. After this person left the store the manager I was talking with said that this guy’s a regular and that he’s a very kind person. At a time of higher stress planning a wedding and redoing a house while looking for another job to compliment my therapy and wedding business to help with finances, this stranger offered me dignity and respect. It was a wonderful experience.
I am very blessed with a generous family. I have a sister who has left random gifts for me over the years like the other week she left a DVD of a movie I like just to show she cares. I have a mother who is continually doing things like stopping by my house with donuts for workers and a brother who will make time from doing his own yard work to help me at my new house. I also have some amazing friends who help me in various ways, but being the recipient of a random act of kindness by a stranger was a whole new experience because I won’t ever be able to repay him or even properly say thank you. It touched my heart in a different way than any gift someone I know has given me. It was like my faith in humanity was restored a little bit more.
Some people get into jobs like nursing, teaching, and firemaning to “help” others, but if you really want to make a difference in someone’s life you need to do something outside of your job. You need to do something for someone outside of your family and circle of friends. You need to do a kind act to a stranger, and it needs to be something you do without the need of receiving big thank yous. Simply be kind for the sake of being kind without need for anything in return.
This week, may you make the time to be kind just to be kind in order to make a difference in someone’s life.
Rev Chad David, www.ChadDavid.ca, Learning to love dumb people