Send out a RAK and you'll get one back
Giving and receiving random acts of kindness has never gotten old with me. I like to give out little things - tokens of appreciation, joy; often for no reason, just because I can. It's the thought that counts and it's just as lovely to receive one in kind.
A little while ago I was working at one of the pop up shops selling décor and it was a pretty gloomy day. Foot traffic was at a minimum and I wasn't expecting it to pick up with it being mid-month. Shopping was already below the top priorities of most people's itineraries. This is something you become accustomed to in sales and you never really know what the day will bring until you're in it.
A lady came to have a look around and she had the most beautiful long, straight black hair that went down to her waist. It was shiny and as she moved it out of her way to look at something I felt it wouldn't be inappropriate to compliment her on how beautiful it was. She thanked me and we started talking about some of the items she was looking at. Eventually we were discussing her three dogs and how busy they are. She bought a few things from me which I carefully packaged up for her and included the shop's business card as she wanted to inquire about something else at a later stage. She left with a big smile on her face and I bid her farewell and happily carried on with my work.
About an hour later, she came back in and put down a gorgeous, frothy cappuccino (in the picture above) and said "This is to say thank you for being so friendly". I was gobsmacked at such a thoughtful and kind gesture and thanked her profusely. She seemed so genuinely happy that we had had our conversation.
After she left, I sat down and looked at the cup of coffee and thought about what we had spoken about. There wasn't really anything astronomically different to how I treat anyone else, so what was this all about? I was just being me - but it must have been a very pleasant experience for her which was nice to know. She was just being her and she must enjoy giving out Random Acts of Kindness as much as I do.
I recently had a discussion about how being a total ass these days has almost become the norm and meeting an authentically pleasant person is becoming scarce. Surely being friendly should still be the norm, not the exception to the rule?
That cup of coffee was incredible and I savoured every sip!
You see, the weirdest part of this is that a couple days before, I had ran out of coffee at home and hadn't included it in my latest monthly shopping list. As a result, I've been drinking tea as a stop gap and I won't buy coffee until my next shopping run. It was my own fault for forgetting it off the list in the first place. You can imagine how delicious that fluffy cappuccino tasted. It was more divine and sweeter than it probably would have been if it was just an average cup of coffee that I had made or bought for myself. It made my entire day better and brighter - because of the thought behind it (and the fact that I was obviously jonesing for a cup of caffeine-induced happiness).
My heart is warmed knowing that a simple thing such as a cup of coffee can still have such a lovely impact on a person's day. This is why I love giving and receiving random acts of kindness. They often do come back to you when you least expect it, but need it most.
When last did you give or receive a Random Act of Kindness this awesome? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.
The photograph above was taken and designed by me