“‘It’s okay, Daddy, everything will be fine!” – ©Al Macphee/Miraclepr.com
February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day, so for this week’s blog, I reflected on three random acts of kindness that have made a positive difference to both me and others. They’re a reminder of the benefits of trying to be a nice person and help the humans – and animals – that we come across every day.
Random Act of Kindness 1
As a professional photographer, your car is one of your most important pieces of kit. You’ve obviously got to be able to get to your job and return while keeping yourself and your kit safe.
I recently needed a new tyre, but after having it replaced, I noticed that the wheel was making a funny noise. The wheel centre was loose. I considered visiting eBay because I knew you could get these centres reasonably cheap there. Then I thought, ‘Wait a minute, maybe I’ll just go to my mate at the scrap heap whose boss is into the same car as I am, and has a little treasure trove of bits. He’s bound to have one. So I went in and had a word with him, and he said, ‘You mean like this?’ and produced one. The usual routine is I take the bits I need off the car – a bit like pick ‘n’ mix at a sweet shop – and then I bring them to the guy in the office who takes my money. This time, he said, ‘Oh, just give us a couple of quid, that will do.’
I said, ‘I’ve only got about 50p in change and a blooming trolley token. I’ll scan it in. Don’t worry, I’ll pay a fiver, (the minimum card payment) because it’s gonna save me a lot of hassle.’
But he said, ‘I’ll tell you what, then. Give us what you’ve got in your pocket, and go and get us some biscuits for coffee time.’ I thought it was very good of him, so I went off and I got some nice big packets of Cadbury’s Hobnobs and chocolate digestives – twin packs! I still only spent the five or six quid that I was going to be spending anyway, but it was a nice feeling to actually be trusted to come back. You don’t come across that attitude nowadays, and it was just nice to repay that random act of kindness. His face when he saw all these biscuits!
I said, ‘It will go around everybody, and don’t forget him at the back because he doesn’t get a look in sometimes!’ So that random act of kindness from him got him several loads of biscuits and it motivated me to do a random act of kindness in return. It’s nice to pay it forward.
Random Act of Kindness 2
Every so often, I play the role of Santa at the local grotto. What started off as a random act of kindness has turned into some photography work because one of my helper elfs asked me if I would teach her daughter photography. She has special educational needs and was struggling with her college course because she needed someone to break things down a bit more.
Act of Kindness 3
A third random act of kindness that has rewarded me time and time again is when I took on a rescue dog. It’s always worth investing love and attention into your dog because when you’re finding the pressure too hard, he or she will know you’re upset. When you come home after a hard day and your dog lays its head on your lap, he or she is saying, ‘It’s okay, everything will be fine!’ That’s their way of paying you back.
The message from this week’s post is simple: Be kind. It can help you in the long run.