Safety Kindness

I met this woman named Kari via my sister.  Kari seemed fun on Facebook, and when I got to meet her in “real life” (in Omaha, Nebraska) I confirmed that as fact.  And I can tell you another fact:  Kari is a kind person.  She does lots of things that are just, well, KIND!  The things she posts on Facebook often inspire me (and her other friends I am sure).  She is one of those people where you are happy when you check FB in the morning if you see she posted something, ya know what I mean?  You just want to read it because you know it will be good.

This is the cool image she posted with the story that inspired me to write this piece

So, when she posted THIS the other day, about a kindness not that SHE did but that someone did to HER, I was extra happy!  Check it out:

“I'm minding my own business weed eating my yard.  As I turn around I notice this big dude walking up to me who says, "Excuse me ma'am....  My boss asked me to give you these" (and he motions over to a MUD truck as he hands me a pair of safety goggles)."

NICE SAFETY GOOGLES!!! 

Kari continued, "Well, I'm a big ol' sap and this touched my heart, so I take my hands and draw a huge heart on the middle of my chest with my index fingers and mouthed the words THANK YOU. Later he drove by & rolled down his window and smiled, telling me, "We’ve only get one set of eyes- you gotta take care of them".  How sweet is that?    XOXO”

It always delights me when people that I know are KIND themselves get KINDNESS returned to them!!!  So I put on my Private Investigator hat and got to work to find the good Samaritan who was so kind to my friend!!

I do not know if this is the sort of MUD truck that Kari saw,
but it is the only photo I can find of one online :)

First I got a couple more details from Kari – date, time, what did the guy look like, etc.  Then I called MUD (Metropolitan Utilities District in Omaha, Nebraska).  The first woman I talked to maybe thought I was crazy, but was very polite about it and suggested I leave a message on the “safety line” to try and track down the giver of the glasses.  So I left a long (ok, rambling…) message and crossed by fingers for a call back.

My phone rang about an hour later, and after a bit of phone tag, I had my answer! 

I talked to Andy Melville, a manager at the Safety Hotline of MUD.  He was excited that a MUD employee who he identified as GENE was so helpful to a member of the community.  I told Andy that Kari and I wanted to make sure Gene didn’t get in trouble for giving away the safety glasses, and he explained that at MUD they not only want to ensure their employees’ safety, but the public’s safety, too.  And he agreed with me that Gene is a great example of doing just that!  He said it didn’t take his team long to figure out it was GENE doing the good deed, and that he would be sure to tell both Gene and his supervisor how much his actions were appreciated.

SO THANK YOU, GENE.  You picked the right person to be kind to.  Almost 90 people read about your actions and “liked” them on Kari’s Facebook wall, and many more will read about them now!  You took time to help make sure Kari was safe, and your kindness meant a lot.  I don’t want to spoil any surprises, but a Kindness Activist button is on its way to the MUD office, be on the lookout for it at a SAFETY MEETING soon!   Oh, and Gene, I would love to have a photo of you to add to this story!  Please send me one at kindnessactivist@gmail.com !  

KARI APPRECIATES YOUR KINDNESS GENE!

And hey, for the rest of you reading this, go out and DO A GENE today, would ya?  Be kind to a stranger!  It will make their day!! 

Click here for more info on MUD - MUD