28 Days of Random Kindness - Act XVII

Passing on a smile

Today I stumbled across this video. It made me smile. So I thought I would pass it along and share the smile. Matt Harding has a quirky little dance style but endearing nonetheless. It doesn't even matter to me that at the end of the video it is revealed that he had a sponsor. I'll take the less cynical route and just take it for what it did for me this morning. Smile!

28 Days of Random Kindness - Act X

Shared a smile

I was in one of those large department-type stores and I was waiting in the check out line. It was a long line up so I was there for several minutes. While I waited I watched the clerk, she was probably in her fifties but looked much older. Her face was washed out and she looked visibly tired. She was working quickly but silently. The customer two in front of me was downright rude to her and the next one was not much better. Not a please or thank you uttered.

When it was my turn, she said 'hello' (like she does to every customer) but I responded to her with a big smile and I asked her how she was doing today. She said, 'fine'. I then said 'you're doing a great job, it's really busy in here'. She looked right at me with a big smile. Her cheeks blushed slightly and her eyes lit up. She talked to me the whole time as she quickly rang through my order. When she handed me my receipt, she looked right at me and said 'you have a great day' and I told her to do the same. As I was pushing my cart away I could hear her greet her next customer with a 'how are you doing today'. I could hear a smile in her voice. I guess it really can work - a smile can be passed on.

Imagine the possibilities...

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around".
Leo Buscaglia

28 Days of Random Kindness - Act VI

Smile while you drive

So I've been making a point of trying to be a nicer driver in the last week. I feel like I'm a pretty nice driver most of the time. I stop at stop signs, I give pedestrians the right of way, I signal when changing lanes and I let people in most of the time. But this week was a bit different. I made a point of smiling at people while driving. Not some, mad, crazed-like smile, just a pleasant smile. As I waved someone in ahead of me I smiled. As I drove past the school crossing guard I gave her a smile. You wouldn't believe how many people responded back with a smile.

Instead of getting all frustrated and annoyed in the shopping centre parking lot I came out calm and somewhat peaceful. I had exchanged a rather nice moment with a women who was making an extremely wide turn around a pile of snow. But instead of getting mad I just pulled my car over to the right as far as it could go so that her car could get by. I just smiled at her as she came around and she smiled and kind of made a funny face at me because she knew she had taken the corner too wide. But really what did it matter? Was it that hard for me to move over a bit. No, and what's the point of yelling at someone for doing that. So instead of shaking my head at the wonderment of some people's driving skills and cursing under my breath, I just smiled to myself and drove along in my merry way. It was nice.