joyful2beeblogs

Over the years I’ve had several interesting encounters with people which made me feel that I had been led to be at a certain place at a certain time. I love people as a whole. I was raised in a loving family and was taught in church that God loves everyone. So I generally have a family attitude towards other people. I like to be friendly and helpful when I can be, but not intrusive or pushy.

The most recent of these encounters occurred the other day. I just picked up a few groceries and was pushing my grocery cart towards my car. I noticed a slim, elderly gentleman trying to lift a large, plastic-wrapped pack of small or medium water bottles. The plastic was stretching and I noticed he was struggling with it. I was right beside him and offered to help. I told him that I couldn’t lift them myself but could help him and together we could get the package into his trunk. He looked to be a bright and kind man and his face lit up as I spoke to him. He smiled broadly and we succeeded more easily getting the package into his trunk.

He just exuded a kind manner and thanked me. I noticed he had an accent and asked if he were Italian or Greek. He said he was from an island off the coast of Mexico. He shared his story of how he came to America. He had wanted to come to the states since he was 10 years old, because of a movie of a young man driving a nice car. He clung to the memory of that movie and was able to move to the states for high school and later college and had held a good job. He smiled broadly at me and we talked briefly. But I had to go so we said good bye.

I cannot tell you how happy it made me feel that I had made him smile and how his face just lit up that I was kind to him, a total stranger. I think I made his day by being friendly and helpful.

I remembered a song sung by Glen Campbell , “Try a Little Kindness.” Here is the link. It says a lot.

Sometimes it pays to listen to the voice in your head or heart that tells you to do something or go somewhere different from where you were planning to go.

One day I decided to go to a certain restaurant. As I got closer I neared an intersection that I had turned onto before to eat lunch at another restaurant. On an impulse I drove to the second restaurant. The restaurant was not busy and the waitress seated me over on the side in a sunny quiet section. She was college age and very nice. So after she brought out my lunch I asked her if she were going to college? There was something about her that made me think she might enjoy a bit of conversation. Since it was a very quiet day I asked if she had many clients besides me. She didn’t.

So I offered her to sit down and talk. She told me she wanted to go to college but wasn’t sure what she wanted to study for a degree. She said her parents wanted her to major in one thing but she wanted to major in something else. She just couldn’t decide which one she should choose.

So I asked her, “Which one do you feel the most led to study?”

She said, “Psychology.”

I think I asked her why and she explained. I told her to study what she loved and felt called to do.

Her face lit up and she thanked me. She had to tend to someone else for a few minutes and came back.

“Thank you so much for talking with me. It was hard to decide before I talked with you. But I feel this is the right thing for me to study now. You really helped me make up my mind.”

Wow, did I feel happy that I had helped a young person make such a major decision.

Being kind doesn’t hurt anyone. Kindness can be shown to people, animals, trees, and any living thing, even an innocent little bug. Our whole world could be a lot better if we “Tried a Little Kindness.”