As writers we tend to be very aware of our surroundings and the people we come across, either friends or strangers. Today, I’m focusing on instances that remind me this world is full of kindness.
*My husband and I belong to a local yacht club of about three hundred members. It’s been on the northern Chesapeake Bay for over a hundred years. It isn’t glitzy. It depends upon volunteers to keep the shrubs clipped, the docks power washed, the moorings dropped and pulled. We live about ten minutes away. Others live out of the area. Some within walking distance. If we have a big storm threatening the coastline I’ll ask my husband if we should drive to the club to check our boat’s lines in order to weather the sea changes. “No need,” John says. “There’s always someone walking up and down the docks and checking their neighbors’ lines.”
*It is 90 degrees and the woman in front of me is driving past the entrance of a grocery store. Two raggedy men are sitting under an overhang on a nearby sidewalk. The woman stops then parks in the fire lane. She jumps out, hands each of them a bottle of water, then jumps into her car and pulls away.
*I am antilitter obsessed. It’s just one of my ‘things’. It’s my habit to keep kitchen bags and rubber gloves in the rear seat pockets so I can pull over and pick up litter when I spot it on a town roadway or anywhere I’m traveling. As I sit at a red light approaching an intersection far from my home, I watch two men picking up litter along the shoulder. I can’t help but smile. I’m not alone in my efforts. I give them a thumbs up.
Can you tell me a story in ‘Comments’ of a recent kindness you witnessed? Or is there a scene in one of your stories that demonstrates a character’s kindness and helps strengthen the depiction of their personality?
Happy summer!
Judy L. Murray, author of the award-winning Chesapeake Bay Mystery Series
P.S. If you are seeking a mystery with a summer setting my Peril in the Pool House might be perfect for you! “Be prepared for a long night. You won’t be able to put it down!” – a reader
I live off grid, deep in the woods. Whenever we pass a stopped car or truck on the road, we always stop to make sure the people are okay. Similarly, when we are stopped (often to look at birds or critters) others stop to make sure we don't have issues. 95% of the time everything is okay; the other 5% is why we all stop.
ReplyDeleteI love random acts of kindness. You never know how much your effort affects someone.
ReplyDeleteStray dogs always approach us and if we can't identify them and take them to their owners, we provide backyard shelter, food, and water.
ReplyDeleteAn in-law owns a large farm in the Midwest with her husband. He died suddenly, just at harvest time, when they both would have been working18 hour days. She was devastated. That Sunday, in every church in their small community, the ministers announced that in lieu of usual Sunday activities, God would want everyone to change into work clothes, load up their equipment, and go bring in that crop.
ReplyDeleteWhen I face that big judgment in the sky, I hope my experience will give me high points. One day, I hoped on the subway and noticed that most of the people were sitting at the far end of the carriage. When I sat down, I quickly realized why when I saw that the man across from me had been violently sick on the floor. I froze not knowing what to do. Then the man looked up and apologized saying that something had come over him and he had become ill. He had a single wet tissue in his hand. I could not be rude and leave. Fortunately, as the mother of young children, I had a stack of paper napkins in my bag, which I handed him that he used to wipe his face and hands. I then told him that one of the next stops was the Pentagon and that they had restrooms at the station (or use to). I walked off with him and directed him where to go. I don't think I have ever seen anyone so thankful. That was over forty years ago and I have never forgotten it. I'm sure he hasn't either.
ReplyDeleteThese stories brightened my day. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have been the recipient of people either offering or giving me a helping hand.
ReplyDeleteAs the result of a recent injury, I am not able to walk quickly or easily.
I can’t even count the number of people who have stopped to ask if I am all right, offer to carry bags for me or take my arm to make it easier for me to walk. All of them unknown to me.
One day I was crossing the street and a heavy downpour suddenly started coming down. I had no umbrella. A car stopped and the driver rolled down her window and offered me a ride. I only had a few blocks to go but I would have been soaked and the many pools of water on the ground would have engulfed my feet which would have made it even harder to walk. I didn’t know either of the people in the car nor did they know me but I gratefully accepted their offer.
There are two people who I now consider friends.
I broke my arm a couple of years ago and it required surgery.
One of the two I knew only slightly through work, his husband I had never met. They called me while I was in the hospital and asked if I would like to have them visit.
They came then and later, picking up my mail, bringing me books to read. When I came home they continued with grocery shopping and other activities I wasn’t able to manage myself or required help to do. Calling to check that I was ok and what did I need.
I’ve had other people who have said to call them if I needed anything.
These two friends didn’t ask they just did and continue to do so.
What a wonderful post, and town you live in. The world needs way more kindness and it’s refreshing to read about it happening in real life.
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