On Saturday I went to Lowe’s to buy potting soil for my front yard. I had a gazillion flowers that I needed to plant, but no potting soil. The line was long. Very long. I finally reached the cashier and told him that I needed 10 bags of potting soil along with the other things that I had purchased. I paid him and proceeded to put the receipt in my pocket so I could later show it to the guys who would load the potting soil. The woman behind me crashed into me from behind with her cart and said to the cashier, “Oh yeah? Well, I need 20 bags of potting soil.” I smiled at her and walked out to my car. I loaded my lilac bush and drove over to the loading area for the soil. The woman who had been in line behind me sprinted to her car, launched all of the items from her cart into the passenger side of her ginormous truck, abandoned her cart and then proceeded to floor it so that she could cut me off.

As she barked orders at the loading guys, she turned around and waved at me. She must have been under the assumption that there was a potting soil shortage. I glared at her.  When I returned home, I retold the story to Brad complete with arm waving and lots of exaggerated facial expressions. He raised his eyebrows. “But,” I complained to him, “Why are people so mean? I could have had a real potting soil emergency!” He raised his eyebrows again. He then patiently reminded me of all of the nice things that strangers had done for my parents recently. He always ruins a perfectly good tirade.

Brad is right. Which is why this column will not be about the rude lady with the monster truck and will instead be about random acts of kindness. My parents were affected by the tornadoes that came through Suffolk, VA at the end of April. Their entire neighborhood was closed and they were unable to even return to what was left of their house until 2 days after the tornado hit. They had no clothes other than what they were wearing and were in a state of absolute shock. When my mom went to Walgreens to get some garbage bags, she was given a case of water and a loaf of bread. When my parents went to breakfast one morning, a complete stranger paid for their meal because he had overheard them talking about the tornado. Even in the face of losing the home that they had built just 5 years ago, they were able to find hope in the kindness of strangers.

Being kind does not have to involve a huge monetary amount or even a significant amount of time. Sometimes all it takes is a very small thing to make someone feel special. When I went to visit my grandmother last week, she was happily reading through all of the cards that she had received in the mail. The majority of them were Mother’s Day cards. What was so amazing was that they weren’t only from her children, but from others as well. My mom’s best friend, Roxanne, sent my grandmother a Mother’s Day card simply because she knew that Nan would love to receive a card. There was no obligation, no expectation, but Roxanne still took the time to choose the perfect card and mail it to her. This is the perfect example of an act of kindness.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in all of the negativity, exactly like I did, that it can be difficult to see the positive. While I was agonizing over keeping all three kids in tow I didn’t notice the man who patiently waited so he could hold the door open for me at the post office. The guy in the car ahead of me at Starbucks that paid for my drink will never know how grateful I was for his act of kindness, but I made sure to repay his act of kindness with a few of my own. This week I will make a conscious effort to be kind and I will focus on the positive. This week I will surprise someone in my life with a random act of kindness.

That is my take for the week. What’s your take? Have you been surprised by a random act of kindness? I challenge you to do something kind this week. Make a small difference in someone’s day. You don’t have to tell me what you did, but leave a comment here saying that something was done and I will choose one winner who will receive an envelope of scrappy goodies from me. A little kindness from me to you. Have a great week!