Acts of Human Kindness

23 Marbles
The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another’s, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises. 
Leo Buscaglia

    A few days ago as I was rushing out the door to catch the bus for work, I set the house alarm then had the thought, “I’m hungry. I should grab an orange.” I didn’t have time to reset the alarm and grab an orange so I left the house empty handed. When I got to the bus stop, there was an older Asian woman who smiled at me. Then she pulled out an orange and started peeling it. I silently salivated. When she was finished peeling her orange, she offered me a quarter of it. At first I declined but she non-verbally insisted so I accepted.  As I bit into the deliciously sweet orange I nodded appreciation. The woman to my side gave me another quarter and I graciously accepted. All this transpired as our bus waited at the red light right by our stop.
    The woman’s wordless gift of an orange did more than feed my body. It may seem like a stretch but it’s timeliness also fed my spirit. Maybe it’s because I observe a world that is becoming more and more dependent on technology that when another human reaches out to a stranger with an act of kindness, it has a heart-warming effect.
    Since her simple act, I’ve become more aware of these types of exchanges.  This morning when a woman was collecting bottles, I let her into the garage to get at my stash as I went into the house to bag the remaining empties. Her gratitude for this simple act was touching. I’ve also noticed that when I take myself on my run with the intention to smile at passersby, the result is boomerangs of smiles coming right back at me. 
    So what can we do to combat an age when social graces seem to be waning while connecting through technology waxes? Perhaps we take a page from the Dalai Lama’s playbook who says, “This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” Thankfully, acts of kindness can also be transported through technology.

What happens when you make an effort to be present and connect with the people you contact during your day? What happens when you add a dash of kindness into your connections?