Kindness still exists

I want to tell you guys a story of something that happened to my recently.

Every few months, when I'm ordering something from a drive-thru, I'll pay for the person behind me. I make sure to do it every so often ever since a woman did it for me a few years ago and it really made my day.

I did this a few weeks ago for a man behind me at Dunkin Donuts. I told the woman to tell him that it was just a little something to brighten his day.

Well, last night, I went down to get the mail and there was a card for me. Apparently, the man got my address from writing down my license plate number.

The card read:

Malia,

Thank you for the coffee and bagel on the morning of September 14 that you paid for at Dunkin Donuts.

I was having a really hard day since I was reminiscing about my brother who had passed away a year ago. That gesture really made me smile.

Here is a little something for you since you turned my day around.

Sincerely,

David

Inside the card was a $50 gift certificate for a local restaurant, that he apparently owns. Its a really nice place and I've never been because of the prices.

I just wanted to share that with you all and let you know that kindness still exists. Because, I know there are times I give up hope.

What's something that has made your day recently?

 

Unusual these days for charitable acts to receive due reward - how sad is that?
Let's hope that example starts a trend

 

I can only think of two incidences in my life that fall into this category.

Both were from 'almost' complete strangers to me and both weren't really in the position to help anyone else, but they did anyway.

The other side, of doing for others... I've never bought the person's coffee behind me, but quite often when I am passing through places where I have buddies, I'll stop where they usually have coffee and pay for a couple on my way through...

Then again, there is the whole, my home is open to any who need it (and get along here) thing...

 

lovelyxmalia,

wonderful story. made me think of the t. williams line...i searched 'the kindness of strangers':

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kindness_of_Strangers

just the tip of the iceberg. when kindness is reciprocated, it spreads like ripples on a pond.

thanks for the story!

i have been the recipient of such kindness, it is immeasurable. i have a good friend who, when i was very ill, he forced me to get out of the house. he didn't know me except to wave at the time, but he began to invite me to dinner a few times a week. i can't say he saved my life, but he may have, as being around other people was good for me, and provided me with much to think about and a boat load of amusement.

years ago, during a divorce, i had (and still have) another friend who did a lot the same thing. would not let me sit on my issues.

these kinds of things are the crown jewels in our lives.

 

Thanks Reb... you actually reminded me of a third incident, that I am a little shocked I forgot about...

Years back when my ex (mother of my daughter) left me, I was wallowing pretty deep for way too long... until someone came and almost literally dragged me out of the house and took me partying... got laid, got a temporary gf for a while and then met Nicole... all stemming from being dragged out. At the time, he wasn't a friend, but since then has become one of my best.

That makes me sad thinking about it though, cause at the moment, he could use somethng similar, but it would have to involve explosives and a jail break... lol

 

This happened to me last christmas at the liquor store. I saw some guy looking at whiskies and he picked up one of the shittiest kinds. I asked him if he had ever tried it and he said, "no, I don't drink. It's for my brother-in-law."

I told him about a bunch of different kinds, which were good, which were garbage, then I went my way. When I got to the cash the man had payed for my whisky, a $26 bottle of it.

 

I don't get much niceness reciprocated to me, you know, other than common courtesy, because I live in an area with a lot of self-centered people who don't normally see past their own nose. But that doesn't really get to me too much, I get all the happiness I need by being a good person anyway. I didn't even really realize that the nice gestures don't come too often until I started trying to think about the last time someone was actually nice to me just out of the blue and couldn't find anything at all. I almost find that to be depressing, but you know, it's always been like this, and like I said, I've always been pretty satisfied just being nice myself.

 

Also, two weeks ago a girl at school held a door open for me. It was the first time in my life a female had ever held a door for me. It felt kinda strange.

 

kindness exist few and in between

 

In my experience, that certainly is true. In my own personal life, Ive seen hardly any acts of genuine kindness, but very high incidences of negative and nasty attitudes.

 

I really do believe kindness falls under the karma of your life.

Do unto others...

Before I started paying for random coffees, food, etc. nothing ever really happened to me.

This guy absolutely shocked me, though. I've had customers buy me flowers and many "acquaintances" treat me for lunch with my old job for helping them out, but this one really surprised me.

 

aww...That was a great story Muhleeuh! It made me smile. I've had alot of kindness shown to me on my travels.....living with people rent free, getting long distance lifts, free meals....the list is endless!

One person who does stand out was a lady in Los Angeles....I'd never met her before, nor been to LA, but she picked me up from the greyhound station, showed me around the sights of LA...bought me a meal then took me to the airport in the evening for my flight out. I'm still in touch with her now, after that one day.
So, you're right: Kindness does still exist!

 

I've never believed that to be true. I've always held the belief that you should treat others how you yourself wish to be treated. However, in my experience, it seems that most people do not share that same belief. I've never been nasty to anyone, or ever done anything with the intention of hurting anyone else. Yet I have still personally experienced a lot of negative attitudes from other people.

I think it's a total myth that you get what you give. That may be the case for some people, but it's very far from being an absolute. Not everyone is treated the way they deserve to be. Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people. So it's far from guaranteed that how you treat others is the way you yourself will be treated.

As for karma, I have often wondered if I did something really terrible in a past life, and that's why I have the life I currently do now... who knows? lol

 

There I am one day, driving down the road... it's getting dark, raining, generally a miserable day outside...

I see a couple of guys hitching, so I stop to pick them up. Turns out they are heading for the east coast. So, I offer them a place to crash for the night and some food. I tell them I'll give them a ride back out to the highway in the morning so they can start fresh. They say sure...

We get back to my place, I feed them, share some joints with them, let them have showers and clean up, watch tv, talk about different shit and so forth. It was a very pleasant evening...

The next morning, I take them out to the highway and drop them off at the best spot to hitchike in the area and head back home.

In return for my kindness, I find about 20$ in change missing from a jar and a couple of grams of weed missing...

 

I've seen the kindness of strangers many times, and would have been in a rough spot several times myself if I didn't fall into the right people at the right time.

 

Well, I had a liver transplant...so, BOO YAH! I win!

There are good people, you just have to look for them, and then ignore the jerks. People that are genuinely selfish and mean will never know all the love that life has to offer, and that's punishment enough. (well, usually...some people just need to be in jail).

 

I was at a servo with my brother's GF the other night and she wanted to pay for some chocolate and snack's with her key card, but the eftpos was down. A guy who was waiting to be served behind us offered to pay for everything she'd gotten (which added up to about $8) After that, we thanked the guy and I ran t othe car to borrow a $10 off my brother to give to the guy for being so nice.

 

obvious stalker

never had a brother

just wants to bang you


lol, seriously, that's very nice

 

This made me smile I wish I saw more of things like this though..

 

The pay it forward principle is really rewarding. A man gave me money for a parking meter the other day when i had no change. I tried to give him a couple of dollars--he said pay it forward.So, I now owe somebody in need that I don't even know yet.