The Kindness of Strangers - A Wonderful Little Story

I just received a wonderful little real-life story about the kindness of strangers from a friend of mine. Her story is really great, and I hope that sharing it might brighten your day, and reveal that there really is so much goodness in this world. If you ever have a story you would like to share, please let me know and I’ll gladly help you share it with our little piece of the world. Enjoy :)

About six years ago I was going through some tough times. I was sitting on a park bench near my office, and it was towards the end of winter. I was trying to write something, anything, but I remember just staring at this empty page in my notebook, zoning out and simply not in a good place at all.

And then, this random guy walked by, looked at me, offered this knowing smile, and said to me: "Don't worry, the weather is going to get warmer soon."

That's all he said, just that, but something very small yet significant changed in me from hearing such simple, kind words from this stranger. I felt just a little bit better, just a little bit more okay, just a little bit more like someone cared.

It was soon thereafter that the weather both internally and externally did start to change. I remember months later, thinking about it from a safer, happier place, and wishing that I could have bumped into that stranger again to thank him.

As one might imagine, I never got that chance.

I had a similar experience a couple months ago. I was on my way home after a tiring day at work and I didn't want to be bothered with anything. When a seat opened up on the train I looked at the young woman standing near it to see if she was going to take it, but she smiled and told me to go for it as she was getting out at the next stop. Well I was too, but I took the seat anyway because, as I said, I was tired and not in the best of moods.

But then as we neared the next stop I felt a little foolish for sitting down for so short a time. As I gathered my things I looked at the young woman and said just that, and she replied something to the effect of:

"It's been a long day--you deserve a break even if it is only for a few minutes."

Such a small bit of kindness really changed my attitude that evening, and it was nice to experience that simple little encounter. But I later realized that while her kind words and smile helped make a bad day a little better for me, I didn't even think to thank her.

And then I met her last week when she came over to my house for dinner.

These things don't happen in real life, or at least I never thought they did. But it turns out she is married to an old friend I recently reconnected with, and they just moved to my neighborhood. And so I had invited them over for a Friday night meal. When she came through the front door I couldn't place her at first but I knew she looked familiar. When we finally connected the dots it was, well, quite brilliant, I'd say. And one of the best parts was that, unlike my experience six years ago, this time I actually got a second chance to say two simple words:

"Thank you."

We don't often get such second chances, though. My point is that even a simple kind word or act from a complete stranger can have a positive impact on someone else's day. As the giver of kindness or as the receiver, no one should take that kindness for granted.

So be kind, and appreciate when others are kind to you, whether you know them or not. And then maybe we can all pay it forward a little and brighten up the next person's day as well. Because you never really know how much you can affect someone else, either on a large scale or a small scale.

If we can all simply keep in mind to be good, to be kind, and to act towards others as we would have them act towards us, then maybe we can actually make this world a better, nicer, happier place in which to live.

By Dena Croog Cohen