Tiny Dancer, Phone Bill, Groceries, and More

It has been a while since I wrote about how Kindness Activist funds are being used, so this seems like a good time to do an update! 

A neighbor recently told me that she got accepted to LAW SCHOOL.  This is a big deal, and I am so excited for her!  She is a single mamma of an adorable little girl. 

Tiny dancer (photo shared with Mom's permission)

Now, being a solo parent means managing a lot – work, kid’s school, sporting events, play dates…  And adding PARENT’S SCHOOL into the mix makes it even harder to balance.  So, when I saw the mom post that she was looking for someone to give rides to her daughter one night a week from dance class to home, I knew Kindness Activist could help out.  While we can’t commit to actually doing the DRIVING at this time, we COULD donate some funds to help pay for the drivers! 

This donation will help ensure a cutie patootie gets from dance class to home safely, and that mamma can fully focus on class and get a great start on law school.

Kindness Activist funds used:  $100

 

The Little Yellow Free Pantry is a food pantry that Kindness Activist runs in South Arlington, Virginia.  In addition to taking food right out of the pantry, guests have the option of leaving a note explaining what they need and their contact information.  We then arrange to get the items, contact the requester, and either ask them to pick up or we deliver. 

Some notes that were recently left in the Little Yellow Free Pantry

Recently a woman left a note saying that she needed cereal and food for lunches for her children.  This is a common need in the summer – some kids who get free breakfast and lunch during the school year no longer have that resource when school is out.  So, I contacted the requester to get an idea what types of food the children like.  She said, “We are not picky, just thankful”. 

Usually, we pack up items that we have on hand in the pantry storage area for requesters, but this time I ordered online and had everything shipped directly to the family.  They received lots of cereal, juices, mac and cheese, fruit cups, peanut butter, ranch dressing (why do so many kids love ranch??), and pickles 😊.  Those items, supplemented with things they get in the Little Yellow Free Pantry, will help to keep the children fed.

Kindness Activist funds used:  $67.58

 

Some expenditures are very small, but the outcome of them can be LARGE.

One of those is lottery tickets.

Lottery tickets are wishes, dreams, hopes, all squeezed onto a tiny sheet of paper.  They are keys that open the imagination:  IF I WIN, what will I do…  They allow the holder to suspend belief in reality for a few minutes – to instead think “what if….”.  And that, in my opinion, is why lotteries are so popular.  People must know that the chances of them actually winning is very, very, very slim.  But everyone with a ticket gets the chance to fantasize and dream.

So, the other day when the lottery jackpot got really, really high, I bought a ticket for me and a ticket for my partner David when I was at the grocery store.  Did I actually think we would win??  Well, I hoped we would, but I didn’t logically think we would… 

Spoiler alert - David and I did not win

I used the self-check a bit later with my groceries and noticed that the store employee working in that area seemed tired and a bit sad.  Seeing that got me dreaming about her – what if she won millions of dollars!!  What would she do???

I popped back over to customer service and bought another ticket.  I handed it to the self-check employee.  “This is for you.  Good luck!” I said and quickly walked away. 

Did I think she would really WIN the big prize??  I guess not.  But I hoped that the ticket gave her license to dream a bit.  And I hope that she won something.  I doubt I will ever know.

Kindness Activist funds used:  $2

 

Sometimes we get mail delivered to our house that is not addressed to us.  Usually it is for a neighbor, and I just walk to their house and redeliver it.  But recently, we got mail for someone whose name I didn’t recognize.  I had opened it before looking at the name, assuming it was ours, but it turned out to be a stranger’s cell phone bill. 

I looked for the name online and found a Facebook account.  I sent a message to the person, but since we are not Facebook friends they did not see my note.  The bill showed that the customer was not set up to auto-pay their account.

Now, I could have driven or walked to the address on the bill and handed it over…  But I decided that paying it would be a fun act of kindness!  I added an additional message on Facebook explaining about Kindness Activist and letting them know that their bill was taken care of for the month, but again, the message went undelivered.

I wonder what they thought when they got their statement the next month and saw a payment… 

Kindness Activist funds used:  $73.30

 

We were at WalMart recently getting groceries.  As we were finishing up, I noticed a man at the self-check who was struggling to use the system.  I love ringing up groceries, so I asked if I could assist him.  He explained that he didn’t know how to ring up his jalapenos (they didn’t have a SKU to scan, he needed to pull up the produce screen and find them).  I showed him how to do it and he smiled and thanked me.

Then I explained that I (Kindness Activist) would like to pay for his groceries.  He was stunned.  He asked me a couple of times if I was sure, and I returned the smile and assured him that yes, I was sure.

His bags were full of meats and canned vegetables and salsa.  It looked like he was finishing a hard day of work and stopping to get food for his family.  I paid, and he thanked me repeatedly.  He wore a cross necklace, and as we all walked into the parking lot, he said, “God bless you”.

What he didn’t know is that the interaction with him had “blessed” me.  You see, he reminded me of Hector, one of my dad’s roofers.  I am not sure if I ever met Hector in person, but I remember my dad talking about what a great guy he was, such a hard worker.  My dad died in 2018, and Hector died tragically this summer (2023).  They suspect that his metal ladder hit an electric line and he was killed. 

So, this act of kindness made me think of Hector and my dad.  Dad was a shining example of kindness in my life.  He would give you the shirt off his back (and I am sure that Hector benefitted from Dad’s generosity and kindness many times). 

My dad - surrounded by his daughters

Like so many acts of kindness in life, the giver sometimes gets as much (maybe more?) than the receiver.  The stranger got a cart full of groceries, and I got memories of my dad.  And you can’t put a price tag on those.

Kindness Activist funds used:  $151.49

$625 Million Dollars Worth Of Kindness??

Just a short accounting and story today, mixed in with a bit of my personal philosophy on kindness. 

A common belief about kindness that I disagree with is this:  kindness is meant to be shared only with people in need.

I’ve seen people get upset about people in Starbucks drive-thru s “paying it forward” and paying for the car behind them.  The argument goes like this, “The people obviously have enough money to buy their own iced vente latte, or they wouldn’t be in line at Starbucks!”.

 

Yes, they do have enough funds to cover their coffee order.  But I would ask this:  does that fact make them any less deserving of kindness?  Couldn’t we ALL benefit from a bit of kindness thrown our way?

 

I always keep that in mind when deciding on Kindness Activist acts.  I get contacted a lot about need based kindness – a woman with children getting out of an abusive relationship needing clothing, a family just arriving in America with nothing but a suitcase, a child whose parents cannot afford a birthday cake.  And we often used Kindness Activist funds to help in those situations.

 

But, I also like to remember to spread kindness not just where it is needed.  Not where it is an emergency.  But just in normal, everyday circumstances to people who do not ask for help, don’t “need” help, but still delight in being surprised by kindness.

 

And that is exactly what I am doing today!  I bought 9 Powerball tickets and am handing them out in Hollywood Beach, Florida.  I am here for work, but I have a couple of hours before I start.  The news this morning announced that the Powerball jackpot is now up to $625 million dollars!  So, why not hand some tickets out to unsuspecting strangers and wish them luck??

 

It’s harder than you think…  First – who to choose??? 

 

I saw the first person I wanted to treat as I walked into the store to buy the tickets:  an old man eating his lunch sitting on a stoop in a parking lot.  He had found a bit of shade, but it still really hot out and he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and pants.  His skin was rough and leathery – it has seen a lot of Florida sunshine.  He may not have housing, I am not sure.  But as I came out of the store he was carefully throwing his garbage in a can – thanks mister!  So many people just throw it on the ground!  I approached, smiled, told him this gift was for him and that it may be worth $625 million, told him not to lose it, and wished him luck.  He didn’t say a word to me, just took the ticket.  As I walked away, I could hear him shuffling along the sidewalk slowly – shuffle, shuffle, shuffle.  I peeked back just in time to see him tuck the lottery ticket into his back pocket. 

 

Then I had to hunt down people to give the other 8 tickets to!

 

One went to a sweet couple sitting at an outdoor table eating lunch.  I think they were visiting from another country (and I bet as I walked away there was talk in another language of, “Wow, AMERICANS!  Why is that woman giving these away???” 😊 ).  One ticket went to a man doing the gardening in the hot sun in front of a small hotel.  One went to a man who jumped off a truck to empty a trash can.  One went to a man who gives towels out to pool visitors at a hotel.  One went to a woman cleaning the bathroom at a hotel.  One went to a man painting the side of a building in an alley (he was the only one to question me, “Why are you not keeping this for yourself???”.  I think he suspected a scam of some sort.)  One went to a lifeguard who had to whistle for someone to not swim so far out in the ocean.  And I can’t remember who I gave another one to!! 

 

Sometimes you read stories about people whose lives were ruined when they won a big sum of money.  Friends and family hounded them for cash.  They spent it all on drugs.  They went bankrupt 5 years after winning.  Etc, etc, etc.

 

I would like to think that if one of these people win, their lives would be made better and not ruined.  I would like to think that, if they win, they will fondly remember the quiet woman who walked up to them on a sunny day and handed them a winning ticket, no strings attached.  And that they, too, would spread some kindness to unsuspecting strangers.  Not just because people need it, but because we all deserve a treat. 

 

Now if you will excuse me – I have one more ticket to give away!  I need to find another lucky person!

 

P.S. – I also bought myself a Powerball ticket (with my own money, not Kindness Activist money of course).  Fingers crossed!!!

P.P.S. - maybe the examples in this story did not clearly show my belief that kindness shouldn't only be given to people in need.  Sorry!  I guess I have just been pondering that notion today.  

 

Kindness Activist funds used:  $18