There is one random act of kindness that I would welcome with open arms. That Mother Nature quit dumping on us! Snow that is. Snow blowers are breaking down faster than the parts stores can restock. To think it was only February when we last went through this and another storm with "significant" snowfall is due Christmas eve.It is the time for neighbors to rally around neighbors. KREM 2 has just wrapped up another of it's "Big Dig" efforts where people armed with shovels, blowers and plows were sent out to the far and not so far reaches of the community to help people dig out. I haven't heard of a single refusal of help!
That leads me to a story out of Eugene, Oregon, where a group of high schoolers decided to form a club to see if they could change the world with one random act of kindness at a time. Their initial efforts were met with skepticism, expulsion from a mall by security officers and being questioned by police! What a shame!
The "Random Acts of Kindness Club" was the brainchild of a high school senior who felt her community wasn't doing enough. While some of what they gave is a bit esoteric, the thought is what counts. They gave free hugs at a football game. They offered leaf raking services and were actually turned down. One woman told them to "Go do your random acts of kindness somewhere else!" Wow, kids. C'mon over!
Another called the police fearing the kids intended to burglarize her house. During Black Friday they gathered at the mall to give out cards with a mint wishing recipients a "nice day". That one seemed to catch on until security booted them based on the mall's "no solicitation" rules. The fact that they were actually giving something, not soliciting made no difference.
Not to be daunted, the next venture is a hot chocolate giveaway. According to club founder Kelsey Hertel, "People can't accept the fact that there are other people who just want to be nice." She also observed, "Our culture is so based on greed that people don't believe goodness is real."
It's nice to see such an astute young lady trying to make a difference. It's a shame, that as a young lady, she has met so much opposition from those of us who ought to be doing the teaching. I hope with time her venture becomes more successful.
It's also nice to know that in our little corner of the world acts of kindness are the norm, no matter the age of those performing them.
4 comments:
Some people's attitudes really blow me away! What is it about kindness that's so hard to grasp? Doesn't say a lot for our society does it? But hooray for the kids! My son has rescuing people for days now because he has one of the few vehicles that can do everything and he's kept the walks shoveled twice a day -- we're the only ones in the neighborhood and it ain't because the rest of them are too old! But, the sun is out, the skies are blue. My other son's flight was cancelled and he can't get here until Christmas morning now -- just hope we don't have another storm up here. Have a great holiday????
Wow that is sad. There are alot of good kids out there. Alot more volunteering then my group. People are so jaded. They don't expect people to be nice. I hope they are discouraged.Say, i was thinking about getting a mac the next time. Any advice?
some people don't know how to say yes. I was at the dollar store yesterday. There was a young lady there with her 2 yr. She had several items, and she put them all up on the belt. As she got her money out, she must have spent some, as she was short. So she told the cashier, that she was going to remove several, when I saw it was just 4 items. I told her, if she would put them back on the belt, I would pay for them. She seemed to be very embarrass and said thank you, but no... I will be ok without them. I told her it was be ok, and Merry Christmas. She told me Merry Christmas, and thank you for your offer...and walked away without. It was only $4. but I could understand, a lot of us have pride...and it is hard to say yes.
Let's hope your son gets there!
The account of the young people trying to be kind was very sad. We've all become suspicious. Once upon a time, if someone saw me at the bus stop and offered a lift I'd accept it gladly; now I have misgivings. Anyway, nobody offers!
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