Random Acts of Kindness

When was the last time you did something nice for someone? I don't mean your lover, your mother, your sister, or your brother. I mean one of those people you pass on the street. There's the lady who helps you at the grocery store or the mall. There's the guy who merges into your lane on the freeway. Many people pass in and out of your life every day, and you can make a difference in their lives.

You can make other people's lives a little nicer without even going very far out of your way.

Sometimes, opportunities present themselves, like they did for Mark. According to Chicken Soup for the Soul, "A Simple Gesture" by John W. Schlatter,

"Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy's name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, that he was having a lot of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.

They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, and had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came, and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.

Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. 'Do you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?' asked Bill. 'You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother's sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life."

Do you think things like this don't really happen? It's just a story. Well, when I was in junior high, I also had the opportunity to help someone on the way home from school.

I used to like to walk a different way occasionally for a little variety, and one day when I was walking down a new street, a little girl approached me. She was six or seven years old, with short straight black hair and big brown eyes. She said, "Wait, please stay with me! These big boys keep picking on me."

I was a little worried. What would I do if the "big boys" decided to pick on me?

"How many?" I asked.

"Three," she said, "they all come from that school over there." She pointed to my school. At the time, Monroe Middle School taught kids from grades 5 through 8. I was in the eighth grade.

Feeling a bit of responsibility, since it was my school, I agreed to stay. I didn't have to wait long. It was only a few minutes before she whispered, "That's them!"

Three fifth graders were at the end of the block. They saw me, and didn't even walk down the street - they chose a different route. I protected the girl just by my mere presence. I walked down that street again the next day, just to make sure the boys weren't back, but the little girl wasn't even there.

I know I didn't save that girl's life, but I saved her from the pain of being picked on by those that are bigger and stronger than her for at least one day. I taught her that there are nice people out there, to protect her from the mean ones. And I think, even though she doesn't know my name and will probably never see me again, she will always remember me.

Sometimes it's a bit harder to see the opportunities to help people in your life. They are constantly surrounding you. Take a shopping cart from the parking lot when doing grocery shopping, rather than leaving yours in a parking spot. Give a car enough room to merge into your lane during rush hour. Even if nobody was there to see you do the good deed, you might just make someone else's day a lot brighter.

Making a stranger a little happier isn't the only incentive to help someone. You'll feel better about yourself. You'll recognize more of the good things happening in your life. How often has a courteous driver made your day?

Do your good deed for the day!

NOTE: This speech won many compliments, and the Best Speech of the Day. Add anecdotes to your speeches to add Power!

last updated April 2, 2000