Kindness: A handfull of flowers

On the way to work one morning, Co-worker stopped to smell the flowers. Literally.

There used to be some amazing lilac trees in her neighborhood, at a large manor surrounded by smaller, multi-family homes. But then, the patriarch or matriarch of the family died and the house was passed down to the younger generations. And the younger generations decided they didn't want to deal with it, so they sold the place. And the new owners chopped down all the lilac trees.

So when she came upon a yard with lilacs in full bloom, she stopped to smell the flowers. The lilacs' fragrance filling the air. After pausing for a few moments, she carried on her way.

She was half-way down the block when she heard someone shouting "ma'am" behind her. She kept walking for a while before realizing that the man running up behind her was actually trying to catch her. In his hand, he had lilac clippings for her. He said that he saw her admiring the flowers in his yard and wanted her to have some. She, rightfully, was shocked at the act of kindness.

And so was a woman walking her dog nearby. She said that was the nicest thing she's ever seen.
Women always love flowers. But from a complete stranger, through a random act. Amazing.

Kindness: Clean up

The other morning, on the way to work, I saw something that warmed my heart.

It was a sunny morning that was pretty warm, so I decided to walk to catch the bus into town. Its not too long a walk down a nice street with plenty of trees and fun houses to look at. Sometimes I'm one of a very few people walking, and sometimes I am one of many. It was a one of many morning.

The man in front of me, probably in his late 40s or early 50s, was moving along at a good clip. I noticed him stop and pick up something off the ground. I though, maybe he dropped something. But it happened again and again. About 3 or 4 times in all. And I realized he wasn't picking up something he dropped, but something someone else had dropped. Or discarded. Or tried to recycle. He was picking up litter.

When I walk around the city and my neighborhood, I can't help but notice all the trash that's around. It's not that Boston or Cambridge or Somerville are really dirty cities, it's just that they are cities. Period. And trash gets spilled. Recycled papers blow away in the wind before they can be collected on trash day. And people loose things. And people litter, but probably not much more than anywhere else. It's just that you see it when you walk instead of whizzing by in your car and not noticing.

When I walk and notice trash, I usually don't do too much about it. Sometimes if I see a trashcan that blew over I'll right it as long as there's not horrible mess. Sometimes if a box has blown into the street I'll grab it and put it back in its recycling bin so a car doesn't have to swerve to avoid it. And sometimes I'll pick up a plastic bottle if I see an recycling bin or trash can nearby. But I don't spend part of my morning commute actively picking up litter as I go. But this guy did. Which is great. And makes me think that maybe I should do that sometimes too. Just a little that can make a big difference. Or at least a small one in our neighborhood.

Kindness: Bunny Prints

Every Easter morning, we leave our house to find that someone has visited. Someone or something. Up and down the sidewalk are big, white prints. Big, powdery white prints. Bunny prints. Easter Bunny prints. They are big and...hoppy. This year you could even see where he pounced along a low brick wall.

I like to think that one of the dads in the neighborhood gets up extra-early on Easter and stencils them on with flour. Actually, I like to think it's specifically our old Portuguese granddad neighbor. That makes me smile.

No, I'm not saying that the Easter bunny isn't real, just that, I don't think that he necessarily leaves big bunny prints along the way. I mean, I never had prints in my neighborhood. So, maybe the granddad just gives him a little help. A way to stir kids' imaginations. A way to make their eyes light up with wonder and excitement.

A kindness from a neighbor. A kindness for the kids.