HOW HARD IS IT TO BE A LITTLE KIND?
A few years ago, my husband and I found ourselves stuck at a huge metropolitan airport with a two hour delay for a plane tire to be changed. Grrr. The waiting area was packed with a sea of people, the two hundred plus who were delayed, and the next group arriving for the next departure. It was a zoo. Tired of sitting, hubby and I started walking down the corridor to look at the shops.
While walking, I witnessed a very young woman (20 maybe?) dragging a suitcase with her right hand, while holding a toddlers hand with her left. He was dragging a small suitcase, and crying hard. He sat down. Mom stopped, and begged him to keep going. She told him they were going to miss the plane. She told him that she knew he was tired, but she couldn’t carry him and drag both suitcases. I realized to my horror that she was in tears. I pulled on my husband’s hand, walked over to her, and said, “Hi! My name is Tracy and this is my husband Keith. It looks like you need some help. Can we help you?”
She looked at me with those wet eyes, sucked in a breath, and sobbed, “Would you?” Within 30 seconds she had the boy in her arms, and Keith had both suitcases. The boy had stopped crying and was giving us that adorable shy smile that only toddlers can. Keith walked her the whole way to her waiting area which was in a completely different terminal.
When they walked away, four different people approached me and said, “That was an extremely kind thing for you to do. I wish I had done that.” I shrugged it off and said, “It was nothing.” You know what? It was nothing. Keith and I had two hours to kill, and nothing better to do than help that little family.
Keith and I both felt great for the rest of the day. We were useful. We were kind. I don’t know that woman’s name, or where she was going, or why she was traveling alone with the boy, but I do know that she probably thought about us and our kindness for a long time afterward. I would like to think that the next time she saw someone in need that she just pitched right in.
I’m not a saint. I, too, have to stand there and think, “Should I intervene?” I simply cannot see another human being crying and walk away. It’s in my DNA, apparently, to feel that I must offer an assist.
A few months ago, I had my sixteen year old at Sam’s Club. We wheeled our heavily laden cart up to the cashier and got in line behind an older white haired lady. She was unloading her cart, looked back at us, and said, “I’m sorry, I’m slow.” I gave her a big smile and said, “Don’t hurry. Would you like to borrow my muscle?” I nodded to sixteen, she smiled, and he immediately started taking the heavy things out of her cart. She grinned from ear to ear, and literally went into raptures over what a nice young man he was; how she wished she could take him home!
It was a simple thing, but it totally made her day. Just a little help in the grocery store from a handsome young man. More importantly, I taught my son that it was okay for him to volunteer his assistance.
Folks, you are never wrong to offer help. Nine times out of ten it will be appreciated. It may not be needed or accepted (no thanks, I can get it), but it sure makes people feel good. And, truth be told, on occasion when you offer your help, someone will turn on you and snarl “Mind your own business.” Hurtful, but totally expected in our society.
We’re a weird breed, we humans. We live in a weird time. On the one hand, we are pretty much told daily to mind our own business. People most certainly do. People step over a body on the sidewalk in major cities rather than “Become involved.” People drive around a car accident rather than stop and render aid. People watch someone be bullied and don’t step in. On the other hand, we put everything about ourselves on social media, and feel no compulsion about reading every internet line about Honey Boo Boo being cancelled because Mama June is dating a sex offender. We want to know all of the details about people we don’t even know, but don’t bother to lend a hand to someone standing right in front of us.
Today, I want to encourage you to offer help to someone who needs it. A kindness to someone falling apart. A kind word to the elderly or the mom with the screaming baby. No judgment, just kindness. You’ll feel good, they will feel like there are still good people in this world, and when you do it front of your child or grandchildren, you are teaching them a valuable lesson about the best parts of being a human being. God knows our society could use more of that.
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