Shot of Kindness

This kindness story is one that shows how small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

We were in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) recently for a Fringe Festival.  From the moment we hit town, we had a hard time.  I mean, seriously, a HARD time. 

One excellent thing about Fringe festivals is that the organizers usually arrange a “billet” for out of town performers.  “Billets” are rooms in people’s homes that they are willing to open up for artists to stay in free of charge.  It’s a terrific concept!!  We have billeted in loads of cities and almost always have fantastic experiences (in fact, an upcoming Kindness Activist piece will be about one such amazing billet!!)

Anyway, in Edmonton, the first apartment we were given to stay in was, how shall I explain this, not the best…  I don’t want to be rude, but to put it simply, we were in town for two weeks and my partner David had to perform a very physical show 7 of those days, and we NEEDED a place we could rest.  The first place we were assigned…  Not much rest was going to happen there.  We made due with a few sleepless hours, then stepped out to try and re-group and figure out what to do.  We popped into a youth hostel, thinking we might end up there.  And then we made our way to SECOND CUP.

SECOND CUP - Whyte Ave, Edmonton

We like a good cup of coffee in the morning.  We know the shop Second Cup from previous visits to Canada and it is a very reliable place to find a nice cup of java!  So on that first morning in Edmonton, we straggled into the Second Cup on Whyte Ave (near the Festival), still wearing the clothes we had travelled and “slept” in.  We set up at a table, preparing to email the festival billet coordinator and ask if there was some way they could re-house us.  And we ordered breakfast, which of course included COFFEE.

Giovanni - unequivocally Canadian and unequivocally KIND

And that is where Gio comes in.  Gio was working the counter that morning.  Maybe he could tell we were exhausted and frazzled, I don’t know.  But for some reason, Gio asked, “Would you like an extra shot in that cappuccino, for no extra charge?”. 

Seriously, I about cried.  YES.  Thank you. 

Big cappuccino (in costume), at an outdoor cafe in Edmonton

Here we were, wondering where the heck we were going to sleep, how we were going to afford a hostel or hotel if it came to that, and this KIND MAN offers an extra shot. 

I don’t think it was the caffeine – I think it was his KINDNESS that gave us the little boost we needed.  We sat – ate, emailed, drank, rested, and regrouped.  Then we headed out into the world again (and ended up getting moved late that afternoon to a lovely billet with a fabulous family that was perfect for us).

Coffffffeeee at Second Cup is terrific!

After we finished our coffee I told Gio about the Kindness Activist project and that I would come back in and give him his official button another day (because we didn’t have our belongings with us when we met him).  But wouldn’t you know it, for all the times we went back into Second Cup during our stay, he was never working again while we were there.  Turns out he is an owner of the shop.  I don’t know how often he is behind the counter, but color me glad he was the morning that we needed kindness the most. 

Coffee at Chez Janette in Paris, France (one of David's favorite cafes)

Gio, I hunted for you but couldn’t find you again.  You are a man of mystery!!  But your Kindness Activist button will be coming in the mail. 

See if you can give someone a little “extra shot” of kindness today, won’t you?  At no extra charge.  J

Coffee at Henry's Coffee Shop in Indianapolis, Indiana

P.S.- the coffee drinking photos included here are from a large series of photos called “Coffee Around the World” that I have been adding to for years.

Another super large coffee at The Mission in San Diego, CA

$5 Kindness

We are in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) for a Fringe Festival.  Truth be told, it has been a hard one since we touched down here...  But today, today a KIND thing happened!!

We are trying to watch what we spend, it was expensive to travel here and join the festival.  I grabbed a glass of wine between shows (with an artist discount - thanks little cafe at La Cite!!) and David ran to hand out postcards advertising our show to a line-up of patrons waiting to get into a show.

I was sitting in the outdoor cafe, chatting with a performer and drinking wine, when a woman came up and showed us a $5 bill.  "Is this anyone's money?  Did anyone lose a $5 bill???".  Well, I had just given David the change from our wine purchase - a $5 plus some change - before he rushed over to market the show, and I figured out what must have happened:  he put the money IN his pocket, then pulled OUT the postcards, causing the bill to fall out.  It was a super windy day so it blew right over to the lady who found it.

The very kind SHERRY, and David with his returned $5

So maybe you think it is not much - $5 (Canadian).  But to me, it meant a lot. That woman, who I learned is named Sherry, didn't just pick up the money and pocket it.  She certainly could have, and no one could have faulted her for it.  But she was KIND and hunted around to find the person who lost it.  And she returned it.  THANK YOU SHERRY! 

Sherry was a good reminder that there are kind people all around us. 

If you know a Kindness Activist, please tell me about them.  Email me at kindnessactivist@gmail.com.  And don't forget to "like" Kindness Activist on Facebook so you can be reminded when new Activists, like Sherry, are found.

Share-In Kindness

We met Sharon Mahoney, a performer who has entertained audiences world wide, in a little restaurant in Winnipeg, Canada.  She (like us) was in town for the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.  

Sharon performing

We were talking with her and eating when a woman walked in and asked the restaurant staff for a key to the washroom.  They told her that the bathrooms were for customers only.

It was an awkward moment…  I think we were the only CUSTOMERS in the place, and we had heard the refusal.  The woman didn’t look like she had enough money to BE a customer, so plopping down money just to pee wasn’t going to happen.

She approached us and said, “He won’t let me use the washroom.  I really need to go to the bathroom.  And I am hungry…”.  She was not BEGGING, she was not really even ASKING for money.  But she was sad, and she was hungry, and she needed to use the bathroom.

So Sharon did something about it.  She said, “If you are hungry, I will buy you something to eat!”.  And up the 2 of them went to the counter.  She let the woman pick out whatever she wanted and Sharon paid.  And now the woman was a CUSTOMER, she also got restroom rights.

Sharon stepping up and being KIND - buying a stranger's meal

I sat and smiled.  Why hadn’t I pulled out my wallet??  And why did Sharon instinctively know that buying the woman food, ensuring she could use the bathroom, was the kind, moral, and RIGHT thing to do???

So after the woman used the washroom, got her food, and left, I asked Sharon about it.  She explained that she can’t bear to see people hungry.  That is a philosophy I can so get behind – FOOD should be a human right.  It is a NEED – clean water and food should be available for everyone.  She told me that she would much rather buy someone food than hand them money, and that it is not the first time she had done that (which was obvious to me by the graceful way she did it, allowing the woman to totally keep her dignity).

Actual sign at the restaurant - perfect for this situation, eh??

Sharon also told me that she can relate to having to go to the bathroom!  And seriously, who can’t???  Seeing that woman not be able to get into a public bathroom made me stop and examine my privilege – I mean, I am a clean, white woman, I can pretty much just pop into any Starbucks or McDonald’s and use a bathroom without being questioned.  And if it is locked and for customers only, I have some money in my pocket to buy a soda and get the bathroom key.  But many people are not as fortunate as me.

LOVE this shot of Sharon performing!  (photo credit Cameron Knowlton Photography) 

I also want to point out here – it is not like Sharon is a multi-millionaire.  She is a performer for heaven’s sake J .  She gave of herself, her hard earned money, to buy that woman dinner. 

Sharon – thanks for reminding me to keep my eyes open to others in need and showing me a classy, graceful way to help out.  You made a big difference in that woman’s day, and I hope your kindness inspires others to help, too!

GO SEE HER SHOW!!!!!!

If you are in Winnipeg, please be sure to check out Sharon’s solo show, “The Lion, the Bitch, and the Wardrobe”.  She has been working super hard to promote it and get people to come, and I know she would love to see you in the audience! Only two more chances to catch her amazing show – July 22 at 9:00 pm and July 24 at 1:45 pm.   Link to tickets here:  The Lion, the Bitch, and the Wardrobe tickets

And check out her website at sharonmahoney.com

If you see kindness in action or know of a Kindness Activist, please email me at kindnessactivist@gmail.com and tell me!  And be sure to follow Kindness Activist on Twitter.  

Fringe Kindness

I don’t want to over-generalize, but I have to put this out there:  PEOPLE IN WINNIPEG (Manitoba) CANADA ARE NICE.  They are polite.  They are KIND.  They THANK THE BUS DRIVER when they get off the bus for heaven’s sake!

We are in Winnipeg for the annual Fringe Festival.  Fringe Festivals are events that host performers from around the world.  Most shows are one hour long.  Most tickets at this festival are ten bucks.  So for a tenner audience members have the chance to see something amazingly mind-blowing or, once in a while, a clunker.  But hey, it is only an hour of your time and only ten dollars (Canadian, which is less if you convert it to American dollars…).

Our show image- David as the popcorn sales man in a precarious situation on the high wire!!

The Fringe is a huge event for this town.  People say (even Winnipegers say, so this is not a slam…) that there is not a whole lot to DO here, so they really get into their Fringe.  And man they DO get into it!  When we were here in 2010 the city BUSES had Fringe ads on them!!  This time, the paper bags from the liquor stores have Fringe promos!!!  People actually take TIME OFF OF WORK – like an ENTIRE WEEK – to go see Fringe shows.  It.  Is.  Fabulous.

Winnipeg Fringe 2010 - ads on BUSES - seriously, what city DOES THAT?  Winnipeg rocks.

Anyway, David is doing his one man show here (“A Little Business at the Big Top”, which, if I might boast a bit, is wonderfully fun and inventive!).  Part of doing festivals like this is marketing your show – Winnipeg Fringe has over 165 shows this year, so part of the “job” is convincing patrons that YOUR SHOW is the one they should buy tickets to.  This part of the job is something that David and I are not great at…  You basically have to walk around saying how great your piece is and hand people postcards that list your show time and venue.  Some people are happy to hear about your show, others not so much…

Here David models our new "sign on a stick" PLUS "hat with postcard".  Pullin' out all the stops...  :)

But every once in a while you run into someone fabulous, like we did today!  This is me and GERRY.  She saw us walking down the sidewalk with what I like to call our “sign on a stick” (ours is new, but every other touring performer has had them for years.  Welcome to the band wagon, Susan and David…).  Anyway, Gerry came up to US and started telling us how much she LOVED THE SHOW!!!  She had seen it that afternoon and regaled us of all of the bits she liked and remembered!  It was lovely!!!!  She was so appreciative and supportive!!  She said she had already told lots of friends to get tickets to “A Little Business” and as we talked she would stop people walking by and say things like “THIS SHOW IS GREAT!  GO SEE THIS ONE!!  Get a ticket for “A Little Business at the Big Top”!: while pointing to our sign as strangers walked by.  We had to reassure them that we hadn’t paid her to say such nice things!!

But wait, it gets even better.  (CAN it get even better??)

After talking at length about the show, we started talking about Winnipeg and things to do here.  She recommended the Canadian Museum of Human Rights ( https://humanrights.ca/ ) and a museum that houses the largest collection of Inuit Art (I think this is the site:  http://wag.ca/art/collections/inuit-art ).  We had wanted to go to the Human Rights Museum and hadn’t heard about the art museum, so we were excited by her recommendations.  I explained that museums where we live (Washington DC) are free, and that we are spoiled by that, and asked if she knew how much the museums here charge for entry.  I just wanted a general idea of how much we would be spending.  She replied that she thought they were around $15, which I said sounded reasonable.

The amazingly KIND Gerry!!  Thank you for making us feel so welcome here

We kept talking and after a while, Gerry opened her bag.  She pulled out her wallet.  She GAVE US $20 and told us to use it to go to the museum of our choice, she wanted to TREAT US!!!  Isn’t that soooo kind???  We couldn’t believe it!  And she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

THANK YOU GERRY!!!

So THANK YOU Gerry.  You certainly reinforced our notion that people from Winnipeg are amazingly sweet.  Your kindness will not be forgotten.  And as we explore a museum (thanks to YOU) we will smile and remember your kindness and generosity.

Here is Gerry telling what she thought about the show!  Notice her green Kindness Activist button!!