Yesterday morning in my Instagram feed, I came across a posting from a site I like called The Dodo, of a man rescuing a fox that had somehow got itself trapped in the crook of a tree. The fox was struggling terribly to free itself and obviously terrified, but the man approached with caution and a calming voice, and was able to free the fox. It was a truly heart-warming three-minute video that had me in tears before the sun was even up for the day. I posted the following:
“This makes me cry, not in a bad way, but because it demonstrates how kind we can be, if we just choose to, and what it means when we do… and what it means when we do not. The former is freedom and life; the latter, suffering and death. It’s a powerful choice that can mean the world.”
With all of the bad news in the headlines of late—Afghanistan, “anti-vaxers,” etc.—it was so refreshing to see that kindness and compassion still exist in the world. I know they does, I experience them every day, in so many different ways. But this video clip of the fox in the tree really resonated, because I have often felt trapped by one thing or another, whether real or perceived. And in my struggles to free myself, I am deeply thankful for the help and kindness I’ve received from others. I’m reminded, also, to be more like the man in the video, who took just a few seconds out of his day to help—to be kind, to do something good for something other than himself, that no doubt left him feeling good about himself for having done so. It’s a choice that connects us as humans and bears a gentle reminding of from time to time.
Eric is one of the kindest humans I know, and this weekend, yesterday in fact, he did something amazingly kind that I want to acknowledge. In the course of some morning errands, he spied a lost soul outside of a Target we had just been shopping in. The man was sitting on a bench outside the store and to Eric's keen eye, he was in need. he was not wrong. I saw it too. Immediately we pulled into the McDonnald's Drive-through and bought a couple of meals for this gentleman. I pulled up alongside the curb outside of Target, flashed my hazard signals, and Eric got out. He gave the man the meals and beverages and got back in the car. When he did, he was choked up and said "I need a minute..." Turns out the man was indeed very hungry, admitted to as much, but was too proud to beg from others... he'd just wait for someone to show some kindness. I'm so glad we took the extra 10 minutes to buy this man some food. It's shameful we don't do it more often, or for that matter that there is even a need to do so in this country, in this day and age. Note to self: try harder, be kinder, and make more of an effort.
ReplyDeleteEric is one of the kindest humans I know, and this weekend, yesterday in fact, he did something amazingly kind that I want to acknowledge. In the course of some morning errands, he spied a lost soul outside of a Target we had just been shopping in. The man was sitting on a bench outside the store and to Eric's keen eye, he was in need. he was not wrong. I saw it too. Immediately we pulled into the McDonnald's Drive-through and bought a couple of meals for this gentleman. I pulled up alongside the curb outside of Target, flashed my hazard signals, and Eric got out. He gave the man the meals and beverages and got back in the car. When he did, he was choked up and said "I need a minute..." Turns out the man was indeed very hungry, admitted to as much, but was too proud to beg from others... he'd just wait for someone to show some kindness. I'm so glad we took the extra 10 minutes to buy this man some food. It's shameful we don't do it more often, or for that matter that there is even a need to do so in this country, in this day and age. Note to self: try harder, be kinder, and make more of an effort.
ReplyDeleteEric is one of the kindest humans I know, and this weekend, yesterday in fact, he did something amazingly kind that I want to acknowledge. In the course of some morning errands, he spied a lost soul outside of a Target we had just been shopping in. The man was sitting on a bench outside the store and to Eric's keen eye, he was in need. he was not wrong. I saw it too. Immediately we pulled into the McDonnald's Drive-through and bought a couple of meals for this gentleman. I pulled up alongside the curb outside of Target, flashed my hazard signals, and Eric got out. He gave the man the meals and beverages and got back in the car. When he did, he was choked up and said "I need a minute..." Turns out the man was indeed very hungry, admitted to as much, but was too proud to beg from others... he'd just wait for someone to show some kindness. I'm so glad we took the extra 10 minutes to buy this man some food. It's shameful we don't do it more often, or for that matter that there is even a need to do so in this country, in this day and age. Note to self: try harder, be kinder, and make more of an effort.
ReplyDelete