Little Acts of Kindness

I have an 85-year-old back. When I stand too long or when I walk too far, my lower back yells at me. Yet, I realize I need to exercise. Then I discovered that my back didn’t bother me so much when I went to the gym and walked on the treadmill. This was probably because I could hold onto the bars on each side of the treadmill, which took the pressure off my back. Also, with the treadmill, I was walking on a rubber mat instead of a concrete sidewalk.

Acts of Kindness

However, I am writing this during a Coronavirus pandemic, and the gyms are closed. So, I decided to get my exercise by walking on the grass next to the sidewalk. But even this requires me to bend over each block and stretch my back. I take 10 breaths, and then I can walk another block. It was during one of these bending overs that a “little thing” happened. A big pickup passed me and then stopped, backed up, and the driver rolled down his window and asked, “Are you all right?”

“I’m just stretching my back,” I said, “but thanks for stopping and checking.” He gave me a thumbs-up, rolled up his window, and drove off. This happened frequently. My favorite was when I stopped to stretch by a parked car without realizing someone was in the car. A young lady opened her door, got out of the car, and said, “Hi handsome, are you OK?” These little acts of kindness mean a lot and keep me going during the pandemic.

Suicide Attempt

I recently read a story about a man who was greatly depressed. He decided to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. When he got there, he was conflicted, and as he walked across the bridge, he decided that he wouldn’t jump if anyone spoke to him or smiled. Although there were many people there, no one smiled, which said no one cares. He jumped. Later he said that the moment his body left the bridge, he regretted jumping. He was lucky and survived. Maybe he lived to tell it so that people might understand that little acts of kindness mean a lot, especially during a Coronavirus pandemic.

If you liked this, you might also like A Spoonful of Kindness | The Power of Kindness 

Eldon Irving writes from Texas.

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