Kindness where you least expect it
I was driving home from an awesome consultation with an upcoming senior today, poking along a bit in Friday afternoon traffic. I was in the lane of through traffic, and I noticed a couple of vehicles in the right turn lane. Just as I glanced at them, the front car, a newer SUV, started to make the turn on a red, and then thought better of it and stopped. A rattle-trap Toyota behind her saw her accelerate and shifted into gear with a lurch, and before the driver noticed she had stopped he gave her rear bumper a thump. The SUV rounded the corner and pulled over; the Toyota followed suit, and if ever a car looked sad and hesitant, this one did.
Out of the SUV stepped a pert looking blonde woman, well-coiffed, maybe forty years old. From the Toyota exited a young man, about 18 or 19, his hoody pulled up around his neck, his shoulders slumped, his whole demeanor looking defeated. He clearly expected the worst.
The SUV driver took a quick look at her bumper and briskly approached the young man. He winced, and hunched a little deeper into his jacket. As she drew near him, she smiled warmly and reached out to embrace him in a genuine, kind hug, and gestured at the bumper with a dismissive wave. He looked startled, first guarded, and then astonished. He stood up taller, shrugged away his shroud of fleece and returned her smile. He apologized, she hugged him again, smiled, waved him along. He lit up, became animated, smiling, expressive, standing tall and happy.
I was in my car, probably twenty yards away. My windows were rolled up, I couldn't hear a thing. But their gestures, their posture, their expressions, told their story as clearly as if I'd been standing beside them. When the light turned green I drove off with a smile, my own day a little lighter, the gift of her kindness had reached me too.
In a moment when she had a choice between being angry or being kind, this driver chose kindness, and it changed everything.
Out of the SUV stepped a pert looking blonde woman, well-coiffed, maybe forty years old. From the Toyota exited a young man, about 18 or 19, his hoody pulled up around his neck, his shoulders slumped, his whole demeanor looking defeated. He clearly expected the worst.
The SUV driver took a quick look at her bumper and briskly approached the young man. He winced, and hunched a little deeper into his jacket. As she drew near him, she smiled warmly and reached out to embrace him in a genuine, kind hug, and gestured at the bumper with a dismissive wave. He looked startled, first guarded, and then astonished. He stood up taller, shrugged away his shroud of fleece and returned her smile. He apologized, she hugged him again, smiled, waved him along. He lit up, became animated, smiling, expressive, standing tall and happy.
I was in my car, probably twenty yards away. My windows were rolled up, I couldn't hear a thing. But their gestures, their posture, their expressions, told their story as clearly as if I'd been standing beside them. When the light turned green I drove off with a smile, my own day a little lighter, the gift of her kindness had reached me too.
In a moment when she had a choice between being angry or being kind, this driver chose kindness, and it changed everything.
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