Have you ever had a complete stranger treat you badly for no reason? It’s something that can turn a pretty good day into, well, a bad day.
A few years ago, I was pregnant, tired, and going to work early in the morning. I was in my neighborhood, driving the speed limit, when someone drove up behind me and started flashing their brights and honking. Before I had a chance to pull over and let them go by, they zoomed around me so they could pass.
It made me mad. And I don’t think it was just the pregnancy hormones talking.
I tried to calm myself down by thinking of possible reasons why this person would need to honk and pass me so quickly. Maybe he was a doctor going to an emergency (he was driving a VERY nice car). Maybe someone he knew was in trouble. Maybe he was incredibly late for a flight.
Our neighborhood had a stoplight that was notorious for lasting forever. When I got to the stoplight, my delightful neighbor was there, waiting for the light to turn green. I chuckled a little bit, but then I remembered that he may be in a dire situation, so I felt a little sorry for him. But I was still a little happy that he caught the notoriously long red light.
When the light turned green, he turned out of our neighborhood, drove a few hundred feet, and turned into…McDonald’s.
Seriously, no one love McDonald’s so much that they can justify that kind of behavior with it.
Since then, I’ve had several similar things happen, but on a much smaller scale. Every time they happen, they make me grouchy. And I find that I feel angry and irritated with other people.
So, I decided to turn these rotten interactions around. Instead of them making me angry, I’m trying to use them as a reminder. Every time a stranger behaves badly, I’m trying to treat two other strangers kindly to make up for it.
I’m hoping that by changing my reaction to the bad behavior, I can spare a few other people the same icky feelings I had.
What if we all used the bad behavior of strangers as a reminder that everyone has their own unique struggles, and could use a few random acts of kindness? What if we used it as a reminder to be kind to strangers? What if it helped us “Be the Good” in someone’s day?
Here are some ideas for ways to “Be the Good” we could start with:
- Let someone go in front of you in the grocery store line.
- Smile at a parent who is struggling with their children in a restaurant.
- Bring a neighbor’s newspaper up to their front door – even if you don’t know them.
- Anonymously pay for a soldier’s dessert at a diner to thank him/her for serving our country.
- Help a stranger find something they’re looking for at the store.
- Give an honest compliment.
- If you drive through for coffee, anonymously pay for the coffee of the person behind you in line.
Do you have any ideas for ways to spread kindness? Please share them with us in the comments!
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