Witnessing An Act of Kindness

Yesterday my Mom and I took a break from some morning errands and stopped at our neighborhood diner for a cup of coffee/tea.

I'm a people watcher, so as people were coming in, I always notice. This diner is a favorite among senior citizens, so as lunch time was approaching, the diner started to fill up.

I noticed 3 men, probably in their 30's, being seated by the window. They were obviously taking a break for lunch from their landscaping job.

A short time passed and I was noticing out the window a car that had pulled up to the front door. The driver was dropping off an old women. She was trying to get out of the car and walk to the front door.

One of the men that were seated by the window, got up and walked outside to help this women. I sat there and at first, couldn't believe it. How extremely nice of him!
He helped her out of the car, opened the door and walked her inside. They exchanged words and he just sat back down.

That act of kindness brought a smile to my face. It made ME feel good to know there are people out there that take a minute of their time to do something completely unexpected and kind for someone else. I wonder how he felt after helping that women?

After seeing this, I am sure that man has a big heart and most often shows kindness.

I had wanted to tell him that I witnessed his act of kindness and how nice of him it was, but the 3 men left before I had the chance.

Bring a smile to someones face and do an act of kindness for someone. You can make a difference...

You can never do kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do You Think...What's In It For Me?

Today was a good day. One of those days where things just came together.

I wrote a post months ago, titled Pay it Forward. I asked if anyone can or does a good deed without getting anything in return. Doing something because you really wanted to. So many people look out only for themselves. They aren't interested in doing a favor or helping someone without thinking, "what's in it for me".

Today I had a meeting and had to park in a lot which charged by the hour. Not knowing how long I would be, I paid at the automatic machine for 4 hours.
You enter the parking space number, slide your debit or credit card through the slot and grab your receipt.

Well, my meeting went smoothly. In fact, it lasted for only half hour. Walking back into the lot, I noticed a woman at the parking machine just about ready to pay. I told her she can have my spot, since I paid for another 3 1/2 hours.

The look on her face was priceless! She said, are you kidding me? No, I said, you can have the spot. She thanked me and we went on our way.

Getting in my car, I realized I did something for someone without thinking about it. Just offered kindness without thinking about getting something in return. Let me tell you it's a great feeling. I couldn't help but smile...

I guess you can say I did get something from this act of kindness. The feeling of happiness... doing something for someone I didn't even know just because I want to. It did make me feel good...can that count as getting something in return?

Pay It Forward

Have you ever watched the TV Show "FRIENDS"?
I used to watch faithfully... I'll admit some friends and I still use several quotes or references from episodes to compare with what's going on in our own lives.

Haven't you?

I remember one show that had Joey challenging Phoebe to do a complete selfless act of kindness without getting something in return. Think about that...

Doing something for someone and not expecting or getting anything in return? Simply showing kindness because you really wanted to.

This is a simple but powerful way to use your life and connect with others—start a "Kindness Chain." Performing acts of kindness is one of the best and quickest ways to improve your life. All you have to do to start your own Kindness Chain is do something nice for someone else…that's it! Encourage them to "pass it on" so the chain isn't broken.

Pay it forward