The Kindness Of Strangers

Blanche Dubois, as fans of Tennessee Williams can tell you, depended greatly on "the kindness of strangers". That said, why can't we all be strangers? Why can't we all take on a kindly attitude in our everyday lives? If you're waiting for a bus, why not start a conversation with that sad- [or angry, if you're feeling very kindly. Or very strange...]looking person next to you. It doesn't cost a cent to share an encouraging word. In a store, why not start a conversation with the person in line behind you? You're both going to be there for a while [especially this time of year]; why not spend it trying to forget the delay, and remembering that we are all human, all interconnected?

There was a story on the news recently. Someone, just for grins [maybe s/he was performing a random act of kindness to blog about], paid for the next person in line's coffee at a drive-thru shop. The next person did the same, as did the next. In time, the chain of kindnesses extended for some two hours! It wasn't an expensive thing to do, yet imagine the simple pleasure in having a stranger buy your coffee, and the simple pleasure of doing the same for another stranger, another fellow human, another link in the chain.

Take a look at the world. There's a lot wrong with it. We may not, by ourselves, be able to change the big picture. But we can improve our little corner by simple, unexpected [I hate the idea of "random"; we should be looking for the chance to help a fellow human!] acts of kindness, of courtesy, of acknowledging our fellow members of the human race. (If you need an idea or two to get you started, try

http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org/.

-Mike Riley