#16: A kind act in the middle of frustration

After paying the stranger's toll on MLK Day, I took my kids to Lego Land to spend the day off from school.  In addition to having fun and meeting up with friends, I learned to never, ever, EVER go to Lego Land on a school holiday.  We have annual passes, and it is just not worth fighting the crowds when we can have the place to ourselves any Sunday morning.

After a couple hours of playing, we were ready for lunch.  The line at the cafe was LONG.  And of course there was only one cashier.  All of the kids and parents in line, including us, were hungry and grumpy.  I think we stood in line for 25 minutes, but it felt like 3 hours.  When we got to the cashier, I mumbled something about needing more people to work so the line would move faster.  I flashed my season pass so I could get 20% off our meal.

 I wish the cafe looked like this photo while we were there.

 

Then I had a thought.  Why not try to perform an act of kindness in the middle of this frustration?  So I handed my season pass to the woman behind me and told her to use it so she could get 20% her meal, too.  I waited for her to complete her transaction, and I think she was very appreciative.  (What's another 2 minutes after you've been waiting 25?!)  I don't know about her, but I felt so much better after doing that for her.  

I know it cost me nothing and only saved her a few dollars.  But maybe my act of kindness changed her attitude that day or possibly inspired her to pay it forward.

#15: Another free toll

I am not creative.  But a kind act is a kind act, right?  I was driving down GA 400 again Monday, and I decided to pay for another car's toll.  When I told the cashier to keep my change and use it to pay for the next car, she didn't blink an eye.  I'm hoping that means that these acts are becoming much more common!

Sorry, no photos this time!  I was driving with my kids in the back seat, so there way no way to safely take a picture.  You will have to trust me!

#14: Free Bagels!

Leaving coupons for strangers is such a fun and easy way to perform an act of kindness.  Today we ate at Goldberg's, so I pulled out my $5 off coupon.  I noticed that there was a second coupon for "Buy 12 bagels, get 6 free", and we weren't going to use it.

I brought the coupon to the bagel counter and asked the bagel man to give the coupon to the next customer ordering bagels.  To my surprise, he got really excited!  I think he said something like "That is great!  I will tell the next person that a nice lady left this coupon.  Wait, do you want to wait here a minute?  You can watch me give it to the next person."  I was excited that he was excited, so I asked him if I could take his picture with the coupon.

I told him that I didn't want to wait because I didn't want the recipient to know it came from me.  He promised he would help me carry out my act of kindness, and I trust that he did. :)

#13: Cheering Up a Friend

My favorite way to perform an act of kindness is to "stumble upon" an opportunity.  Since I started this project, I have looked for things to do (such as give blood) when nothing presented itself naturally.  Act #13 was awesome because it involved a close friend and the act of kindness just fell into place.

My friend, Heather, had been posting on Facebook recently that her son, Jackson, was having health issues.  He was just diagnosed with a kidney problem and was on steroid medication for three months.  Because the medication suppresses his immune system, he had to stay home during the 2.5 week winter break while all his friends were going out of town, to playdates, and to camp.  It was too risky for him to go out in public and possibly catch a cold or something even worse.  I know he was bored and lonely.  Trust me, keeping a five year old home for two weeks is not fun for the parent or the child.

I wanted to do something nice for Jackson, so I tried to think of what would be most appreciated.  I thought back to the time when I broke my leg in first grade.  I had a plaster cast from my toes to the top of my thigh.  I'm sure I was in pain and miserable at first.  But that is not the part of the experience that I remember.  My most vivid memory of my broken leg experience was the numerous visitors who came to my bed bringing me gifts and candy.  I had no idea what I did to deserve all of the attention.  It was fabulous.  Who knew all a kid needed to do for extra presents was break a leg?

So back to Jackson.  I emailed his mom and asked if I could come with my son (who is also good friends with Jackson) to bring him a gift and cheer him up.  We showed up with a couple treats and a couple toys.  The boys had a blast together, and I could tell that both Heather and Jackson appreciated the visit.  When we left, I felt so good that I made Jackson's winter break a little more fun.

We are all wishing Jackson a quick recovery!