An act of kindness doesn’t have to be monumental for it to make an impact. In fact, you can still spread goodness and genuine kindness even in the smallest of ways.
Sometimes, simply answering a question can be seen as a kind deed.
Diana Register, a writer from Idaho, is not happy with what she’s seeing on social media anymore. The world is currently waging a war against the CoViD-19 pandemic which is already something to stress about, but the people’s hurtful and unnecessary negative comments on social media are even worse!
In a story she submitted on the website Love What Matters, Diana shared how she was “tired of the doom and gloom, and people being nasty to each other” so she decided to leave Facebook. She was just fed up with everyone’s reaction to the current state of things.
“Helpful tips and posts about what’s working and what isn’t is not the issue. It’s the way we’re all treating each other that I have a problem with. This virus isn’t a political issue. It shouldn’t be an us vs. them thing. It’s a virus that is making some people really sick, and others not so much. We should be taking care of ourselves all the time, yet for some reason when it’s forced on people, they panic.”
And that panic, according to Diana, has resulted in a fear that’s so uncontrollable it led people to be the worst versions of themselves.
After posting her thoughts on Facebook, Diana went to the grocery store with her daughter, Kaitlyn, to buy something for dinner.
As the two of them were in line to pay for their haul, an elderly man approached them asking if they knew how to make a grilled cheese sandwich. The old man was not coughing nor sneezing so Diana did not feel the need to step back.
The man was said he was not good with cooking and specifically asked whether to put butter or mayonnaise on the outer part of the bread. Diana merely said he should use butter.
Their conversation could have ended at that point, but the elderly man clearly wanted to talk more.
He said his name is Mark and told them that he is a veteran, an “old marine” as he called it. Diana found out that he lives close to where they were residing and that he was living alone.
Diana even offered the only pack of toilet paper she got, thinking that the old man might need it more. Mark refused and shared how he was always prepared, something he learned from being a veteran marine officer.
Before she knew it, Diana found herself talking to the man and even told him that her father was stationed in Korea, just like Mark.
“I told him my dad was in Korea. He said he was, too. And for forty-five minutes, Kaitlyn and I were absolutely honored to listen to his stories of war and tales from overseas. He was careful with his language, knowing that eliminating the colorful words for Kaitlyn’s sake might dull his stories, but he told them anyway.”
Diana and her daughter were practically talking to a man they just met, but it was a conversation that was as comfortable as that of between long-time friends. The ease of their instant friendship was quite unbelievable.
At some point in their conversation, the elderly man shared the real reason he was not a good cook was that he usually eats out at his favorite restaurant. However, it was closed because of the current state of things and he had no choice but to go to the grocery store and make himself a cheese sandwich.
At that moment, Diana knew there was more to their conversation than this kind man asking about a grilled cheese sandwich.
“And then, at some point, it dawned on me. He didn’t stop us because he didn’t know how to make a grilled cheese. He stopped us because he is lonely. He’s lonely because he can’t go to his favorite restaurant and sit in his favorite booth and talk to his favorite server.”
In truth, Mark just needed someone to talk to. He was old, alone and lonely. A simple “Hello” from someone who cared totally meant a lot to him. And Diana was glad she was at the right moment for Mark to meet and talk with.
In her post at Love What Matters, Diana ended her story with a piece of advice about all the “Marks” out there.
“Do your social distancing. Stay safe. But please don’t forget the Marks in the world who still need you to say hello.”
If we all think about it, the situation about this pandemic that has been plaguing the entire world may be far from over, although we hope and pray this is not the case. In the process of helping the world heal, a little act of kindness and support for each other even from our simple comments and posts online can make a huge difference.
Instead of focusing on what’s bad, the better way to handle a problem is by focusing on what’s good and what we’re blessed with.
One way or another, we will eventually get past all these difficult times, so as we all wait for that moment, we must always, always keep in touch with doing what’s good and being kind even in the simplest of ways like saying “Hello” and checking on people we love.
Who knows, a simple gesture such as this can turn someone’s day around for the better, or even save their lives.
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