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HeroicStories #751: Three Gifts of Kindness
Reaching more than 40,000 subscribers in 118 countries, this is...
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HeroicStories #751: 24 July 2008 www.HeroicStories.com
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Three Gifts of Kindness Story Editor:
by Pat Woods Dan Keller
Queensland, Australia
In December 2007 I became ill and was taken by ambulance for a blood
transfusion. I guess it was my chance to get back some of what I'd
donated over the years.
"Thank goodness no neighbors are watching," I said. "I'd be answering
questions for weeks."
"You get good at spotting people behind curtains," replied a paramedic.
"At least three houses are checking you out." Oh dear. I don't like to
discuss my health and didn't relish the impending inquisition.
This paramedic's kindness was amazing. At the hospital, orderlies told
him to go but he wouldn't, until he knew medical staff was assigned to
me. What a relief when one is alone in a huge hospital, with impersonal
staff hurrying past.
After several days in hospital, my sons cleaned my house thoroughly,
arrived in a car strewn with jasmine, and settled me in at my house.
A week later, I desperately needed fresh air and groceries. I walked to
the nearest bus stop and suddenly felt weak and dizzy. I knew I couldn't
make it home, but if I caught the bus to the store, I could grab a
shopping trolley for support and be fine.
Here in Brisbane, Australia, buses only stop if you hail them; newcomers
to the city stand, as I once did, totally bemused at buses zooming past
them.
My bus came and I waved him down. Apparently I was a metre too far from
the actual stop; he gestured rudely and kept going. So there I was,
hanging onto a lamppost, feeling dreadful and wondering what on earth to
do next.
A hand gently but firmly took my elbow. I looked up, and further up, to
see a tall man with a concerned look on his kind face. "You aren't well,
are you?" he asked. "Oh, just a bit dizzy," I mumbled, and he gave me a
look that said, "Yeah, right, and I'm Santa."
Turned out he was a bus driver taking his break across the road. He
supported me to his bus and helped me into a seat. "Where do you live?"
he asked, then rang his depot, saying he was taking ten minutes to look
after a sick passenger. Shortly, my neighbors, still agog from the
ambulance, were treated to an enormous city bus pulling up outside my
house and the driver escorting me to my door.
In two weeks I experienced the kindness of people going out of their way
to make me comfortable: the paramedic who stayed with me; my sons who
rallied round; and the bus driver who gave up his break to get me home
safely after his colleague simply drove past.
I hope we all have a chance to experience -- and give -- that kindness.
I will always be grateful to those who bother to notice the needs of
others, and take that extra step to help.
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In our last story, "And the Roses" (#750), our author, Marcia, met an
older lady at the store buying food for feral cats. When "Hank", the
biker type at the head of the queue, heard this, he paid for the cat
food and also bought the old lady a bunch of roses.
Sixten from Finland replies, "Hank must have a big warm heart made of
purest gold! The story brought tears to my eyes. Thank you, Marcia, for
the wonderful story!" Frances in Tucson added, "Marcia deserves a rose
as well. If she hadn't stepped beyond her own fatigue and engaged the
older woman in conversation, Hank probably wouldn't have been inspired
to his kind act. It's a wonderful example of how one small kindness can
have unexpected consequences."
However, Mark in Texas had a different concern. Mark: "If one doesn't
think, this was an overall touching story. But I wish people wouldn't
assume it's OK to feed feral cats. Perhaps this lady is only caring for
a proper feral colony that has been vaccinated, fixed and returned to
land that was approved for that use. Down where I live, those would be
her cats and her responsibility since she fed them. If all she does is
feed them, she is only adding to the overpopulation of cats, and
attracting other wildlife that could potential carry rabies and a number
of other diseases."
Our issue before this was "Redemption from the Mud" (#749), in which
Mary shared her experiences of working as a volunteer to rescue
flood-damaged photos.
Jane in Yorkshire said, "I'm a keen photographer. For a few years now,
I've made an effort to take photos for people who have either a very
cheap camera or no photographic talent. Usually it's just a matter of
photographing all the kids at the birthday party and emailing the
pictures to the parents. It's fun practice for me, and I seem to have
made an awful lot of grandparents very happy without really trying."
What a wonderful idea, Jane.
If you missed this story, you can access it here:
http://www.HeroicStories.com/archives.html .
And finally, Maria in Oklahoma sent us a lovely note. "Thank you so much
for your always-inspiring and heart-warming stories. In these tough
times, when it seems there's not enough money or time to do what I have
to, and all the negative and violent news makes me question peoples'
actions and motives daily, it's so good to read stories like yours. You
are certainly a bright star that shines even more clearly in the darkest
nights."
Sheila, our Comments editor, gets hundreds of spam emails a day from the
Comments feed. She worries she's going to delete some of your comments
by mistake. It would be a big help if comments came with a subject line
that included "HeroicStories", the story's title or story number. Most
of all, keep them coming! We want to hear from *you*!
Sheila Crosby, Comments Editor
Joyce Schowalter, Networker in Chief
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