Archive for the ‘kindness’ tag
Something Simple
Dave and I went to pick up our vegetables from the Harvest Food Coop today. We are owners of a share in this year’s harvest of the Happy Valley farm located in New Braintree, MA. As we walked out of the subway exit, which is 6 feet from the entrance to the Coop, I saw a man waiting to cross Mass Ave. It was hard not to notice that his left foot was at a 90 degree angle to his ankle, which meant that he literally had to walk on his ankle. I stood there for a minute, evaluating the situation. I decided I could help. A few seconds later, we were jaywalking arm-in-arm across Mass Ave. He told me that his name was Big Al, and that he had done five minute comedy stands at the Hong Kong restaurant in Harvard Square. He said his foot had been run over 40 years ago, while he was in the Army.We made our way across the street and into the Wendys. I bought him lunch, gave him my card, and said goodbye.That’s really the spirit of this blog. I wish every day contained that perfect little happy moment; the joy I felt when we were walking across the street today.
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When was the last time you were really down on yourself, and someone came along with a kind word, a sympathetic smile, or a little gift to brighten your day? For me, that moment came last Thursday. I was walking around the office in shock, unable to believe that I had missed an event that meant so much to me. My Outlook calendar had let me down in a big way. Mayor Menino had invited me and the six other Boston winners of Inc Magazine’s Inner City 100 Award for Urban Excellence in Business to an exclusive award ceremony at City Hall.
This award meant a great deal to me. Yet, unbelievably, the appointed day had come and gone, and I was oblivious to my error until someone forwarded me a copy of the Boston Globe article the next day. When I realized my error, I was devastated. I told a few people around me, including my HR director, Donna Barry. “I can’t believe it,” I told them. “This is an award I have been working towards for three years. And now I’ve missed the ceremony!” I was really sad. I had let everyone down, including me, my staff, the other award winners, and even Mayor Menino.
For the next few hours, I tried not to think about my mistake. I buried myself in work and kept my head down. I didn’t notice any unusual activity until Donna pulled me out of the conference room while I was in an interview and led me over to another office. Surprise! At least 20 members of my staff were standing in the room, waiting to give me the award, which Donna had picked up, along with a delicious cake from Rosie’s Bakery!
As I looked around the room at everyone’s smiling faces, I realized that this was better than any award ceremony at City Hall, no offense to Mayor Menino! This was an act of pure kindness, and one that I will not soon forget.