“RANDOM WORDS OF KINDNESS”
We have probably all heard about “Random Acts of Kindness.” But have you ever considered the impact of “Random Words of Kindness?”
Blogger Chris Cade shares this little story following a family trip to Disney Land.
After having tromped around the day, waiting in lines, riding rides, and not feeling 100% (from still feeling sick!), we all sat down to eat at a restaurant. After we finished eating, I was walking out the door and came upon a worker with his head down focused on sweeping trash up off the floor.
I stopped in front of him and paused. He looked up at me, and our eyes met. I was totally present, and after a moment of silence, I simply looked at him and said…
“Thank you.”
He seemed a little surprised, and I briefly used friendly body language to express that I was grateful for him cleaning the restaurant.He smiled and said “You’re welcome.” I smiled and went on my way.
I’m pretty sure he’ll remember that experience for a couple of reasons. The first is that it was a real connection. I went out of my way to really connect with him personally and authentically. The second is that he probably doesn’t get thanked much (or at all) for the work he does. If he did, he wouldn’t have been surprised. People remember that kind of stuff.
In the moment though, it was clear to me:
Although I had had a wonderful day, there were aspects of it that made for a “long” day. For example, waiting in lines, walking nearly 9 miles, being in closed cramped spaces, not feeling well, watching kids temper tantrums all over, being with my son’s own challenges of feeling overwhelmed (it was his first trip to Disneyland), and so on.
And after this long day, I was hungry. What the worker gave me, simply by doing his job, was a clean space to sit down, relax, and eat. If he didn’t do his job, my experience in the restaurant would have been entirely different, and definitely not as relaxing.
Fortunately, he did do his job. And even though he doesn’t normally get thanked for it, I really appreciated his impact in my life. The thing is, this story really isn’t about me or the worker at Disneyland.
It’s about each and every one of us.
It’s about the garbage man or the postal worker, it’s about the restaurant employee or the pharmacy worker, it’s about the checker at the store or the person at the daycare center, it’s about the mother or father, grandfather or grandmother, it’s about the people who make or sell our computers, and it’s about the farmers who grow our food.
It’s about you and every single person on this planet connecting in a more authentic and appreciative way. Because in some form or another, we all do thankless jobs.
And when you take just a brief moment out of your day to pause, connect with a person, and thank that person genuinely, it will make a difference for BOTH of you.
Give it a try. See what you discover.
REFLECTION QUESTION:
Has someone’s random words of kindness impacted you in some way?
OR
Can you think of a time when saying a word of kindness impacted someone else’s life?