MBT #11: Kindness from Strangers

This is one of my favorite commercials. Ever.

I don't want to claim that strangers who spread kindness are these amazing do-gooders because we all know how impossibly hard it can be to love and serve our own family most of the time. I mean, when is the last time I wanted to do the dishes? But I don't want to downplay the impact, either.

I never really got the chance to thank these strangers who popped up in my life, but I never quite forgot you either. This post is for you, for your audacity, your spontaneity, your joy, your selflessness. Thank you for brightening my day, and for restoring more hope in humanity action by action. Thank you for inspiring me.

1.) Lemonade Stand Woman - When Elliot and I were in elementary school, my neighborhood organized a community yard sale and every house had tables set up on the driveway. I'm not sure who proposed it, but Elliot and I ended up running a lemonade stand right at the entrance to grab the most attention. We were abuzz with excitement: the pitchers, the coin collection box, the cups, and the lemonade powder were too much for our scrawny bodies to handle. Little kids selling lemonade for ten cents absolutely screams adorable entrepreneurship, but it was hard selling it to people that were not my mom and dad. Thankfully, Lemonade Stand Woman arrived and asked for two cups, and took a sip. She told us it was delicious and "keep the change." She handed me a $5 bill.

2.) Guy at Starbucks - I was grabbing coffee with Ivria, and as we sat at the stools we started chatting about what you have been missing if you've been living under a rock. We hear laughter behind us and turn around to this guy in his late 20s/early 30s who looks up and asks, "The Onion? God, it's hilarious. That is so great that you are talking about it."

3.) Car Trouble Guy - It was a frosty post 9/11 afternoon after church; the roads were icy and the snow was marred from the weekend traffic. My family sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic and by the median I noticed two cars, engine to engine. It looked like one car just needed a jump start, which is pretty ordinary, but what really caught my eye was the guy who was hooking up the cables. He was young, maybe mid 20s. Attractive, sure. Maybe Persian. But he was only wearing a thin hoodie, sleeves rolled up so he could work with the engines. He was rubbing his hands together, breathing on them to keep warm. And he did all of this while smiling, laughing, and talking with the other driver. I don't know if he knew her or not, but I couldn't help but think of how many drivers had seen her and simply been too busy, too hesistant, or too cold (hey-yo!). And how the only person who stayed with her looked like the people we as a nation began to unfairly prejudge.

4.) Dining Hall Tray Guy - Last week in the dining hall, the food server informed a student in line that he needed to get a new plate because his had a melon rind on it, thus condemning him to the back of the dinner rush line. This guy a few spots ahead of me gave him his plate instead.

I don't believe that any of these people have transformed the world, but they have all changed it. Their stories intersected with mine in goofy and amazing ways, and as a result, I find it hard to act as if they had never touched me at all. So I won't. I'll let them move me.