Three tiny acts of kindness I've seen or experienced the past two days...
We all need some hope, don't we? So much awful news - so many of us struggle with the holidays. Often to old geezers like me (well, nearly 57!), it is easy to get cynical and think like everything just gets worse, nothing gets better.
Yesterday I was at the post office - we know what that place can be like any given day, but especially during the crazy holiday gift mailing season. So I was in line at the package weighing/postage dispensing self service machine - maybe a dozen people (far less than inside at the manned counters) - I started chatting to the person in front of me (typical for me) - he was bemoaning that he had to stand in a long line for just one stamp. So the people in front of him had just bought some stamps, and gave him one - he tried to refuse, but they insisted - such a small thing, but it made him - and the stamp donors - and me, as an observer, happy.
I get up to the machine with my four packages - after processing 2 of them, it kicks me off and says it can't complete the third transaction. So I put the postage on two of them and put them in the bin and head for the back of the line - everyone in line insists that I go back and see if I can finish the other two. I wished them all a Merry Christmas - I was happy, they were happy.
Number 3 - I went for a coffee at Starbuck - looked for the paper to read. Older fellow was reading one of the four sections - he was done with 3 and I commented that he had my favorite part (crossword) - he chuckled. I went to a different area of the store with my coffee and papers - read for about 20 min - looked up - the fellow walked around the store looking for me to give me the final section.
Tiny, little things - random acts of kindness. And collectively they made me feel pretty damned good.
Merry Christmas, Happy holidays, all!
= new reply since forum marked as read
Last Friday we were checking in to a flight. The guy at one of the counters was pretty obviously on part of an international trip (style of dress, heavy accent, several suit cases). They had put down the weight of bags from 50 pounds to 40, and all of this guys bags were way over weight. So the lady at the counter tells him it is going to be an extra $200. Then she has an idea "Do you have another bag in any of the bags? It would be only $40 to add another carry on. You could take some out of each bag and put it in an extra one." And he doesn't have a bag. So he asks if the sell them, and she says that they did years ago but not anymore. Hang on, she says, and she goes back in the door and comes out with a box, and sends a baggage guy to get packing tape and sends the traveler down to the end to take things out of his bags and repack in the box. Then the really kind thing happened. The next lady up there had paid for an extra checked bag but ended up not bringing one, so she asked if she could give the guy the credit for the checked bag. And the lady at the counter said yes. (Then it got pretty comical because the guy she sent for packing tape thought he didn't need it anymore since someone was "giving him a bag). That was really nice. Then later walking through the airport my wife said to me "I'm so glad that lady did that. I was going to offer to pay for the bag." So now I'm $40 bucks happier the lady gave it to him too 
So many times in a situation like that people can be held up in line by the guy at the counter and be all huffy and eye rolling, it was really nice to see so many people being nice.
