Today, as I was walking across the parking lot of a store, doing my best to step in every rain dropped puddle I could find, a woman in a large vehicle backed out directly in front of me. I stopped, of course and waited, but then she turned her head and looked at me. The surprise on her face was genuine. I expected little more from her than a hurried wave at me to continue on my way, or, perhaps, for her to continue backing up. I was neutral either way. To my very great surprise, she rolled down her window and smiled apologetically, saying kindly, "I am so very, very sorry. I didn't see you!"
Her smile was infectious and I found myself returning the gracious gesture ( I hadn't really been paying attention, either).
"It's no problem," I told her. "You can go."
"Oh no, no. You go. Get out of the rain. You go, please."
Such a short exchange between two perfect strangers, nothing more, really, than a momentary blip in my day. And yet, if it was merely a blip, and we were only strangers, why, then, did her words and smile replay over and over in my head as I continued on my way with puddles and then shopping? I don't know her and she certainly does not know me. Yet, there was a moment when the world of me and her connected and entwined.
Why? Because we live in days when walking down the street, with our eyes forward, seeing those around us, has become rare. We live in moments that we do not even see, so preoccupied are we with the electronic in our hands or the grudge against slights or the taut anxiety of an overstrung society.
This woman's consideration, her immediate willingness to smile and speak kindly to a stranger, to make a connection beyond irritation or oblivion, was a rare moment.
I have always been a people watcher. I watch who smiles, who cries, who grumbles and who laughs. I observe the countless passer-bys with their drawn and worried faces. I see the person with the scowl they have carried so long they do not even know they carry it. I make it a point to never stare down. I pass people by, and I smile. It is rare that anyone makes eye contact with me long enough to return the smile. And that is okay, I guess. We can't smile always, on the outside. But I smile at those I pass, and every so often, someone looks at me, sees me, and, sometimes with a startled expression, tentatively returns the smile.
I watch people. Why are so many people oblivious to those around them? It is so easy to say something kind, to smile warmly, to nod pleasantly, to take a breath and relax and realize the world is beautiful. I admit I am not an eternal optimist and sometimes the world does not seem so beautiful. But that woman today, her in her car and me in my puddles, she made the world beautiful. She doesn't know she did it, I am sure, and I assume she was not intentionally trying to add anything to my day. But she did. She added a moment that has become so rare and far between in every day life for every day people, that I replayed her kindness again and again.
Smile at those you pass by. See the colors of their eyes. Observe the countenance of their souls. Recognize their silent search for everyday beauty. It only take a split second to offer something beautiful to those around you. Do it enough and let it catch on until everyone is replaying kindness, not only within, but replaying it to others.
Kindness from strangers should not be so extraordinary that it stops us in our tracks. Kindness should be a constant.
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