Anyone Need a Hug?
Fun August 26th, 2008
Yep. You landed on a humor blog, but I’m allowing myself to get serious for a minute.
I’m convinced the reason people lose there ever lovin’ minds at the end of the day is because they haven’t encountered one act of kindness since they woke up in the morning.
I know this because when I let a guy in front of me at a store checkout counter tonight, you would have thought I’d just handed him the million dollar suitcase from Deal or No Deal. And the buxom woman who goes with it.
The poor guy was shifting back and forth and sighing for what must have felt like an eternity for him. He thanked me three separate times for letting him slip through at another counter after he had to wait behind a woman making a complicated return. I thought he was going to hug me next and invite me to dinner.
We tend to think that people who lose it are mentally-unbalanced. I don’t think that’s the primary reason. It’s because everyone is in a hurry, nobody thinks of other people and when you just have to run to the store for a bottle of medicine for your sick kid after a brutal day at work, you’re on your last nerve and no one gives you a tiny little break.
It doesn’t take a huge donation to charity to change the world. All it takes are simple acts of kindness. It costs you nothing and pays big.
Has anyone shown you a small kindness lately? Share your stories and uplift me. Oh, and virtual hugs all around!
Stumble it!
August 27th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Oh. I didnt really answer your question. As for someone doing something for me: The City of Corning agreed to allow me to plead guilty to failing to obey a traffic signal instead of 54 in a 30 after I wrote them a letter and explained why I was speeding. As far as I’m concerned, nobody has to be nice to me for the rest of the year.
Shieldmaiden96’s last blog post..Love Guns and Donut Runs
August 27th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
just came back for my hug, D*** i’m needy.
it seems as though some people display acts of kindness like it’s clothing, we put it on and off whenever and i’m wondering how come we don’t wear it as our skin…
RAOC should be lived everyday, it’s so rare that when you do something nice for a stranger, they look at you like you just parted the red sea. it’s a freaking miracle.
Everyday, wish everybody would get on board.
Natural’s last blog post..Doggone, Grandma
August 27th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
maybe i meant RAOK = random acts….yeah that’s it.
Natural’s last blog post..Doggone, Grandma
August 27th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I’m not too sure about your advice. I hugged some random woman in the grocery store, and she kneed me in the naughty bits.
Joe’s last blog post..Caption This; All this fun, and prizes, too.
August 27th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Kathy:
I am so glad that you remained in control when the world around was splitting at the seams. Well done.
Several years ago my wife and I were on our way to Las Vegas. It was hot as heck as we drove across the desert, and as luck would have it, we had a major blow out in the front driver’s side tire. It was so bad that it blew the front fender apart – of my favorite Cadillac! Needless to say, when I opened the door and stepped out into the hot sun, I was a little tense. Plus, the car was in the soft sand at the side of the road. Whatever. I popped the trunk and prepared myself for what I knew was going to be a difficult job.
About that time a small pickup pulled off the highway and parked right behind me. Now what’s this? I thought. But then a young twenty-something young man emerged from the truck and told me he would be glad to help me with the tire change. I was reluctant, but he insisted. I could see his young wife waiting in the pickup. She waved. So, I handed him the jack and he took care of the whole thing. I tried to pay him, but he absolutely refused. We exchanged good-byes, and they drove away.
How’s that for making your day?
Happy trails.
Swubird’s last blog post..THE DESERT BORDELLO
August 27th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Kathy, truer words were never spoken. It amazes me how little people care about other people in the course of their normal daily lives. I love doing small acts of kindness for people and getting thanks and appreciation for caring. Even when someone doesn’t show thanks for my kind act I know I did it for the right reasons. Unfortunately, i don’t see many acts of kindness in return, but if yo look hard enough they are there. And I appreciate them very much. Terrific post! Thank you for the reminder. Matt @ Matt-Speak
Matt’s last blog post..5 Stories From The “Absurd Files”
August 27th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
I think you’re right, as I get into a foul humor and act more like a bastard when I’ve gone too long without someone cutting me any slack.
I try to let people into traffic as much as I can, as it’s no big deal to wait five seconds for someone to pull into traffic.
Libertine’s last blog post..Bad Week
August 27th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
you’re such an angel 🙂
manilenya’s last blog post..Guest Blogger: Mr. Durano Lawayan on Manilenya
August 27th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
It always feels funny when I drop on my own card! 🙂
{{{{{{hugs}}}}}
Luxor’s last blog post..From the Archives
August 28th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Little acts of kindness make all the difference in the world! Even if it’s just a smile from one person to another; sometimes that’s all you need. Ya know?
Ricardo Bueno’s last blog post..[Repost] “Inbox Taming for Busy People”
August 28th, 2008 at 5:39 am
Richard Catto — Ugh! Hope he got a kick in the groin. I prefer a hug of the non-tongue variety, thank you.
lala — Oh, I love that story! That’s making everyone feel warm and fuzzy, literally! Way to go! And I loved your story about the neighbor who picked you out to receive her privacy fence. What a great lady.
Bruce — Uh-oh. {ducks}
Shieldmaiden96 — Wow, that’s awesome! I can’t remember the last time someone paid anything ahead for me, but now I want to do it for others. That’ll be me walkin’ around today with her wallet open. And way to go Corning! Whew!
Natural — You’re right, we should wear it as our skin. And no one should feel shocked when a kindness is shown to them. It proves it doesn’t happen enough as part of our daily life.
Joe — Next time, tell her it’s from Kathy at The Junk Drawer. Gotta save those bits of yours.
Swubird — Makes my day? Makes my week! I love stories like that. Guy sounds like an angel on earth. It amazes me how much others are willing to do without expecting anything in return. Happy trails, indeed. Sorry about the Caddy.
Matt — The great thing is it puts us in a mood to do the same for others. Plants a seed that grows and grows. And all it takes is a little thoughtfulness and almost no time at all. Thanks for dropping by.
Libertine — Driving to and from work is the worst part of my day. I see the least amount of courtesy on the road than anywhere else. More and more, I do like you do and let people get where they’re going. Not worth the struggle and might even make someone chill out. That’s gotta help whoever they come in contact in their day.
manilenya — Not always! But I try.
Luxor — Funny, I feel the same way. I’m glad we connected through EC and hugs right back!
Ricardo Bueno — Smiles are the easiest thing to give away. I think I mentioned before I sometimes like to smile broadly at strangers. It shakes them up a bit and they can’t NOT smile back. At first, I felt funny doing it, but it’s a hoot to see their reaction. “What? You’re smiling at me?”
August 28th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Great observation. And I’ve actually been in that guy’s position, where I am so thankful for someone who took a little extra time to care. And I’ve also been in the position where someone was extrememly grateful for my help, even though I thought what I was doing was nothing more than common courtesy. Go figure! Ironically, I also wrote a little poem about the subject for my blog yesterday.
Henson Ray’s last blog post..The Legend of the Magic Bowl
August 28th, 2008 at 8:54 am
My husband was recently hospitalized. It is very tough right now. I am unable to drive because of an eye condition (haven’t driven in 4 years), and when my husband had a seizure following a stroke, they took his license away for 6 months.
We live in “can’t get there from here”, there is no public transit, his job depends on him being able to get around, so you can imagine our predicament. We were already hit badly before the holidays when he had the stroke and thought we would lose our home now for sure. We cannot get a lot of forms of assistance because we don’t have children, nor are we the type to ask for those kind of handouts. My family (siblings, parents, cousins, etc.) lives over 1200 miles away so we and our dogs are basically housebound for the next 6 months.
Anyway, we could not believe that we called just one person, and had 10 people call back asking to drive us home from the hospital, to drive us to the store, to do whatever.
I am not the type to easily accept help, but so far we have not missed church on the weekend, the grocery store when we needed it, and we even had another Realtor (my husband is one) offered to drive him so he could meet up with a potential customer and want absolutely nothing (no “cut”) in return.
Maybe its because we always help out other people, but I don’t think its tit for tat. I think that when people care about you, you normally push them away,because “you can do it yourself”, but you cannot prevent them from being kind any longer when you are knocked down. I am especially guilty of the “I can do it myself, dangit!” even though some things I did were really stupid and i SHOULD have accepted help.
There is no magic wand, and its not that things never suck, and there is still recovery involved, but due to the kindness and generosity of others, there may just be a way that we may be able to make it/not lose our house/get out of this one.
TheSnackHound’s last blog post..Sitting on the Bubbler
August 28th, 2008 at 10:08 am
A lot of times a little act of kindness like a sincere smile can go a long way too. And the best thing is it doesn’t cost us anything to smile.
BK’s last blog post..Do You Remember How You Learned to Walk?
August 28th, 2008 at 10:21 am
@Kathy: non-tongue, no deal. Haha. 🙂
Richard Catto’s last blog post..[LOLCAT PIC] Seven weeks, bitch! Seven FUCKING weeks!
August 28th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Bob, a bachelor who works with my husband eats out for lunch every day and when he gets pizza, he’ll buy an extra slice or two for me! I think that’s so unnecessary but very nice of him. I LOVE pizza! Also, whenever there are special treats left that someone brought into my husband’s place of employment, my husband will bring me one of them. I think that’s nice too.
Karen, author of “My Funny Dad, Harry”‘s last blog post..Organizing Tip for Week 11: Coupons
August 28th, 2008 at 11:53 am
I find people are very inconsiderate in general.. and it makes me very twitchy 🙁
fragileheart’s last blog post..A simple, customizable footrest
August 28th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Wow!!! What a response!!
I went into work last week for a meeting. I was obviously looking pretty pitiful. A fellow coworker offered to work for me the next day without me even asking her!! It was so thoughtful!!!
KFJ’s last blog post..’80’s Fix Wednesday
August 28th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I’m hard pressed to think of the last act of kindness someone did for me. This probably explains why I am so stressed lately…
kev’s last blog post..Single, Awesome Male Seeks Single, Awesome Female
August 28th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Henson Ray — The problem with common courtesy is it’s not as common anymore, I’m afraid. That’s why it feels so shocking. I’ll check out your poem!
TheSnackHound — Your story warmed my heart. I’m so sorry about your husband’s health issue and the fear of losing your home. But it’s wonderful to hear of all the people who jumped to help you both through a difficult time. I know people generally hate to accept help, but if we don’t let them, we all lose. Thanks for sharing your story. I’ll keep you in my prayers.
BK — And it can’t hurt the smiler either!
Richard Catto — You drive a hard bargain.
Karen — Why is Bob still a bachelor then? He sounds like a catch! A wonderful woman at work brought me a gift bag full of assorted potato chip bags. Just because she knows I love chips. And another brings me special cheese curls you can only get in western PA whenever she visits her dad out there. Those little surprises always make my day!
fragileheart — Have faith. You’ll run into a considerate one eventually and it’ll make you forget all the cranky ones. Guaranteed.
KFJ — That’s amazing and generous! I’m happy for you. Boy, I’ve been smiling the whole way through these comments. I’m truly uplifted!
kev — It’s probably because people think you don’t need anything. Try a KFJ and look pitiful next time (see above).
August 28th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Aww what a nice post 🙂
Nice use to make me vomit, but I have softened in my old age.
My most excellent friends from blogging have been super nice letting me stay with them, taking time off to meet up with me and been generally wonderful about my trip starting this coming Tuesday! woot.
I always try to do nice things for people, even though I pretend to be a bitch most of the time.
Claire’s last blog post..Doodle Fire
August 28th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
You did it, you let someone in line who had a few items. I would have hugged you too. I almost wrote a post on this subject last week. I had one can of cat food but I stood in line behind a woman for twenty minutes anyway. She looked at me and my one can of food too, but it didn’t seem to phase her. I wanted to push her down.
Anyway, you’re right, one simple act of kindness can make someone else’s day, in addition to preventing a possible act of violence. (I’m kidding)
In all seriousness, kindness is definitely the best virtue. Great post~
Cheers~
Annie
Annie’s last blog post..I Am An Awesome Blogger Friend …And ….
August 28th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Just a little smile when you least expect it…or looking into someone’s eyes and really, really, really engaging in conversation. That is a slice of real. Kindness.
Mimi Lenox’s last blog post..My Cell Phone Is Possessed By The Devil
August 29th, 2008 at 4:48 am
Just a simple smile matters to me. I really appreciate every little kindness, most especially when it comes from people whom you least expect it to come from.
Who needs a hug right now? I do.
Alex’s last blog post..It’s hard to breathe
August 29th, 2008 at 6:18 am
Claire — That’s OK, I won’t tell anyone you’re getting soft. Have a blast on your trip! And keep showing kindness, even when you feel bitchy. It’ll throw everyone off!
Annie — Bless you for not pushing her down! I do think half the crankiness in the world would evaporate if people would just give others a break now and then. I mean, didn’t we learn this in kindergarten?
Mimi Lenox — Yes! And not always searching for the next thing to say. I always have to work on that — just listening. I’m a lousy conversationalist anyway. Smiles!
Alex — Absolutely. Throws people off a little and the feeling can last the whole day. What a gift. {{hugs}}
August 29th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Lets all do a act of kindness on tuesday.
August 29th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
How about a spontaneous funny moment? I take orders at the drive-thru where I work and this lady was in the process of ordering multiple items when her passenger pipes up with “…and a partridge in a pear tree”! It really made our day since a lot of people are so snippy first thing in the morning and only want their coffee!
Anna’s last blog post..5th Annual OROC 5K Walk/Run
August 29th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
@Anna: Oh, shoot we are fresh out of pear! But we got it in apple. Will apple work for you? 😉
Richard Catto’s last blog post..[LOLCAT PIC] Seven weeks, bitch! Seven FUCKING weeks!
August 29th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
@Kathy: it’s hard alright. haha.
You keep feeding me these great straight lines.
Richard Catto’s last blog post..[LOLCAT PIC] Seven weeks, bitch! Seven FUCKING weeks!
August 29th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
OFF TOPIC (for now!): Kathy! You’ve been given an “I ‘Heart’ Your Blog” Award. Check out this post for details:
http://donva.blogspot.com/2008/08/im-bloggin-my-heart-out.html
(Don’t blow this off! It’s the first award I’ve been able to give!)
Don’s last blog post..I’m Bloggin’ My Heart Out
August 29th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
“It doesn’t take a huge donation to charity to change the world. All it takes are simple acts of kindness. It costs you nothing and pays big.”
How true!
Vera’s last blog post..Culinary dreams and Page Rank News!
August 30th, 2008 at 5:44 am
brooke — Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and…
Richard Catto — Oh, geez. I’ll stop now.
Vera — Yesterday a colleague I hadn’t seen in a while asked me if I lost weight. (I hadn’t). I hugged her. And that set the tone for the rest of my day. I couldn’t have been happier that someone thought I looked thinner!
August 30th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Don — It was perfectly ON topic! Thanks for the award love. You made my day!
August 30th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
It was kismet! I swear it! Once I posted the “hearty” award on my blog, I raced around to the blogs I threw my heart to and simply threw comments at them to let them know they were recipients. I hadn’t even read this post yet!
Anyway, you’re very welcome. Thank YOU for the laughs!
Don’s last blog post..I’m Bloggin’ My Heart Out
September 1st, 2008 at 6:44 am
Don — Oh, that’s funny. Your timing was perfect, though. You have a great sixth sense!
September 18th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Gosh, I honestly don’t remember the last random act of (stranger) kindness I received. I do try to be courteous to others though. Silly things like letting people into traffic or my lane, or going above and beyond for people at work. I think when you make things just a little easier for other people- it makes your life less stressful too. Win-win. 🙂
Corrina’s last blog post..Why Recycling Is Bad
September 19th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Corrina — But it’s the little things like letting people ahead of you in traffic that changes their mood, even if only for a moment! I’m convinced it’s what keeps us all sane, these little acts of kindness. Win-win is right-right!
April 10th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Like trying to shove upright luggage under the seat in front of you, it only makes everyone miserable! Check that bad mojo by being nice!