As the Wendy’s drive-thru clerk handed me my small cup of chili and Diet Coke, she smiled and said, “You look nice in red.”
I cried.
It was the kindest thing anyone had said to me in the last 48 hours. I’m sure she had no idea two days earlier my heart was crushed (again) by a man I had been involved with for the past three-something years. At forty-something years old, I never thought I’d still be crying over boys but it’s just what I had been doing after being told he found the love of his life and it wasn’t me.
Is There a Logical Reason?
My mind had been swirling with thoughts of, “What’s wrong with me?” and “What did I do wrong?” trying to find a logical reason but when that Wendy’s clerk said those simple words, she put my situation and life in perspective. She made my day a whole lot brighter and gave me hope. When things seem a little dark, just wait and the light will shine through. Even if I never find love again, I’m living a good and blessed life.
I’m sharing this story because last night I learned a friend from college took her life earlier in the week. She was married to a great guy, loved her rescued greyhounds and SCUBA adventures, and they lived comfortably. I knew she had struggled with job loss but had no idea about her other internal battles and the pain she had suffered.
I wonder if things would be different if someone had made a small gesture of kindness toward her that day.
You Light Up My Life
In my everyday life whether in my town or traveling, I do my best to treat others kindly, no matter what they do or what title they have. I do my best to smile, sincerely say “thank you,” and show appreciation for that person. I have a Postcard of the Month Clubto share my travel experiences with others on a personal level beyond blogging but admittedly, there’s room for improvement. My goal this year is to focus on what I have rather than what I don’t and what small things I can do to improve the quality of life for others.
So tell me, what do you do to make someone’s life a little brighter?
Following are a few resources and inspiration for doing good:
Organizations
26 Acts of Kindness – Inspired by journalist Ann Curry following the Newtown Shooting
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation – Random Acts of Kindness Week is Feb. 11-17, 2013
Values.com – The Foundation for a Better Life
Passport Party Project – philanthropic initiative that will travel the nation and gift 100 underserved girls with their very first passports sponsored by Expedia
Inspiring Articles
Pregnant Mom Surprised by Eatery’s Act of Kindness – Nice going Red Robbin!
Random Acts of Kindness – by fellow blogger Jenn Jones-Perry of DazeofAdventure.com
Tim Hortons Customers Pay it Forward – for Three Hours
Suicide Prevention
For suicide prevention, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org) at 1-800-273-8255, available 24 hours a day.
I maintain a Facebook page to honor the memory of a former colleague who drowned a few years back. “Shea It Forward” is where we try to honor Lisa’s memory by inspiring readers to commit “random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty”. I find that people don’t like to “brag” about their random acts, so I don’t expect a lot of participation – just try to post things that will encourage actions, however big or small. Please drop by if you’re so inclined https://www.facebook.com/SheaItForward