Where there is a human being, we have an opportunity for kindness.
Seneca
Oof, Seneca definitely used the right word when it comes to the practice of kindness to others, opportunity, because far too often than not it is tempting and easier to travel down the snark and bark path.
Now to be honest, I adore being kind to people, it truly is my default setting. Nothing makes me happier than to see a person who is struggling feel valued just because someone made the choice to practice kindness. That said, there are instances in which seizing the kindness opportunity is hard to do.
Last Wednesday I was pushing my cart across the crosswalk in front of our local Bi-mart's doors. While I was waiting for my daughter to get out of tech school so that I could meet her at the bank, I decided to run into the box store next door and pick up a couple things. You know, because in my world you never just do one thing on a trip to town.
Anyway, as I was traversing the crosswalk, my ears picked up the gunning of an engine. I looked up and saw a Dodge Dakota barreling down the aisle in front of the store. I remember thinking that its driver was speeding a bit considering we were in a very congested parking lot, but I let that thought slide as I kept taking steps across the main thoroughfare.
When the pickup came hurtling around the corner at about 25mph and showed no signs of stopping for me was when I had a few thoughts hit my brain band simultaneously: 1.) She isn't stopping. 2.)I'm going to get hit. 3.)I'm going to miss my family. 4.) This is really going to hurt. and 5.) Engage Matrix-moves.
Seriously, it was all like a slow motion, fast playing scene in a thrilling action movie. In one fell motion I whirled my cart one way and spun myself the other. The front passenger fender of the truck slid along the back of my jeans and the driver of the Dakota didn't get stopped until I was behind her passenger side door getting concerned kisses from the grey and white pitbull who was hanging out the window.
You know that feeling when you almost die? Yep, I was having it in that moment. As I expelled my held breath violently and begin patting my chest to see if I was indeed still in this simulation, time sped back up and I whirled around to behold the cretin who just about made me a meat smeared coating to the parking lot.
The first thing I saw as my gaze lasered in past the very friendly pibble was a pair of horrified eyes. In that moment I knew that the creature was going to punish herself far more than any disgusted blasting from me was going to accomplish. The knowledge of what she had almost done in her haste to get out of the parking lot hit home as I peered into her traumatized orbs.
"I am so sorry, I was just late and I wasn't paying attention." she burbled like a spring melting stream.
In that moment I remembered that line from Seneca. Sure I almost had been splattered like a locust on a windshield, but here it was, an opportunity to practice kindness.
"I'm okay, you missed me." I said to her with a big smile. Because I was okay! More than okay! I just got a gift to live another day, and the parking lot pariah got the gift of not killing someone just because she was running late, and the tail-wagging creature got some scratchies because he was in the vicinity of a elated to not be road-pizza hobbit.
Not that I am a totally confrontation avoiding Pollyanna, it was a serious breech in behavior on the driver's part, but my hope is that when she hops into her internal combustion capable of splatting pedestrians method of conveyance that she remembers that time she almost took me out and applies a little less pressure to the gas pedal.
You know, as an opportunity to practice kindness馃槈
And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's also barely not road pizza iPhone.
