A while back, someone did me a random act of kindness. An anonymous person in a van in front of me in the drive through line at McDonalds (Sh! Don't tell anyone I eat there occasionally or it will blow my nature-foodie persona!) paid for my meal. On purpose. I'd like to say it brightened my whole day. In a way, it did. Every time I thought of it that day it put a big goofy smile on my face. It was a reminderl that kindness exists. Yet I have to admit that I probably snarked at my kids just as much that day as any other. Probably I was just as cranky about having forgotten my list at Warlmart. Quite likely, I didn't remember to be more thankful. And evidently, I didn't get around to writing this until a long time afterward. Still, it has stuck with me, and made me question whether or not I am always kind. So how much is a random act of kindness worth? I decided to do a randomish act of kindness today. I bought some kids at the library a jug of chocolate milk. I wonder what they'll do. Will they remember that? Behave better in the library? Think about doing something nice themselves? Oh, I doubt it. Yet I don't mind spending a couple bucks to give a couple of kids a dose of calcium and vitamin D. It might have done me some unnamed good to do it. So I think a random act of kindness might actually turn out to be worth something. Not that I expect the world to change in a pay it forward-ish way. But maybe if I try to stay conscious of what kindness can do, I can be the exponent. Maybe I can increase kindness for people in a small area. Or maybe it just amounted to a free smoothie. What do you think?
2 comments:
I think that RAKs bless the act-er in the same way they bless the receivers, with second thoughts and sometimes third and fourth thoughts. Doesn't Paul say "think about these things?" (Philippians 4:8)
Even if it's not explicitly paid forward, I think a random act of kindness can have a subtle effect. If nothing else, the recipient may be in a slightly better mood after receiving it, and that can send ripples out. They're nicer to their bank teller, who leaves work that afternoon feeling a bit better about their job. Or whatever. And really, even if it only makes one person even a little bit happier, isn't it worth it?
(And who says it has to be the person receiving it whose day is improved? Just knowing you did something nice for somebody can make a day better. Better living through smug self-satisfaction!)
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