Acts of Kindness

Little things can make a big difference and brighten one's day. Today I got flowers - bright yellow roses in time for spring. Then as I drove into the MEC parking lot, a car exiting scrolled down their window to give me their parking ticket. Little gestures like these, even if from a stranger, seem rare, but put a smile on my face today. As I've gotten older (vs. when I was a kid), I've found over and over again that it's not material things that I remember, but rather the little gestures that say someone cares. Whether it's someone offereing to help you do up your snowshoes when your fingers are frozen in -30ºC weather, offering to take the garbage down as they leave your place, or are there when you need a shoulder to cry on, it's those moments that count. I've done a lot of thinking of what I would do if I were to change careers, and think that something to do with nursing or medicine would be it. Being able to help is rewarding, and putting a smile on someone's face is more memorable than getting a paycheque in a sterile white envelope. My next mission: Do something each day to brighten someone else's day.