Random Acts of Kindness

I looked downwards at the man in the wheelchair. He was staring up towards a high shelf in the grocery store.

“May I help you?”

“Uh . . . I was hoping to get the medium-sized freezer bags. They’re on sale.”

“Hmmm, that looks like a challenge.” For him, it would be impossible. For me, it was beyond my reach.

“Let me just step on this bottom shelf and swipe across here with this box of waxed paper. There we go!” The box tumbled to the floor.

“Great! Can I get another?”We’ve all done similar things at grocery stores. I often ask tall folks for help reaching items far back on high shelves. But, let me tell of three different scenarios that took place recently at Food Basics in Windsor. This is not exactly a high-end grocery store. Here shoppers rarely have extra cash in their wallets.

The first case involved my daughter, who had recently lost her job. Monique had reached the register and had to put back a handful of items because she didn’t have enough money. After she paid for her groceries and was bagging them, a woman in line behind her asked the cashier to put her displaced items on her own bill. Monique had been having a rough day and was uplifted after this encounter. She told me she was so grateful for the kindness and generosity of that woman. “She couldn’t have known how defeated I was earlier, but she really lifted my spirit!”

The second situation involved my friend Matt, at the very same store. Matt had gone there to grab some beverages but when he went to pay for them, his debit card was declined for some unknown reason. “Embarrassing as hell, to say the least, especially with someone behind me in line. So, I decided to go home and check it out. I crossed the street, then out of nowhere, this guy pulls up next to me. It took a second but I recognized him as the guy who was standing behind me in line. He introduced himself and then handed me a $20 bill. I declined it at first, of course, but he insisted on giving it to me. Unreal. I’m not used to strangers being so ridiculously generous. It’s crazy how an act of kindness can brighten one’s mood. I was a bit down prior to but that seriously made my day.”

The third case happened as my hubby and I bagged our groceries in the third lane. There was a woman in her forties at the express checkout, in the nearby second lane. She paid for her groceries, including a large bouquet of red roses. Suddenly, she reached across the aisle and placed the flowers in the arms of another woman of similar age. “Here, these are for you! I saw you looking at them earlier.” When the surprised woman protested, the buyer of the roses insisted, “You have to take them. I’ve already paid for them. They’re yours!”

Three random acts of kindness by strangers. Makes you want to do the same for others, doesn’t it? Keep your eye out for opportunities to let your own generosity shine!

(Featured image by Christo Anestev from Pixabay)

(Last image by kalhh from Pixabay )