A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way

Sadly, in today’s world, we can lose our faith in humanity at times. It’s outrageous to witness, but there are a few people who take deliberate actions to send words or thoughts of misfortune, wishing someone harm or ill-fortune.  No matter what goes on in this world, we should never judge others and always be kind.

So, let’s not dwell on lack of kindness, because I am here to bring a beautiful message of positivity. One that I hope you will agree is both brave, selfless and thoughtful.  I am perhaps sharing this with you, for the somewhat ‘selfish’ act of patting myself on the back, but also, I hope it puts a smile on your face in the process. Maybe even motivate you to carry out one kind act today.

I was walking into the petrol station last Saturday whilst Martin finished topping the fuel tank up with petrol. The flowers by the entrance caught my eye; a brightly coloured tulip-mix with a few thingummyjigs mixed in. (Sorry, I’m not very good with flower names, so you’re lucky you got tulips)!

The price of the flowers seemed a little expensive, so I put them back, thinking it was a tad over-indulgent to treat myself in this way.  Two steps into the foyer, and I stepped back as I had a flash of inspiration out of nowhere. I needed to buy them for a neighbour of mine. Sod the expense!

I had heard earlier in the day that a neighbour, whom I don’t know very well, had lost her husband to cancer.  She lives two doors down from me and happens to be the neighbour who’s garden I landed in when I fell from the roof. (See my book Catch me if I fall!).

The couple who live in this house are very quiet and very rarely seen.  I have only seen them once or twice since my ordeal in 2019.  They saw me out of their window learning to walk with crutches, walking sticks etc, as I found confidence tottering down our road in the early days.

We have never had a conversation though, and of course, I did feel a tad embarrassed, wondering what I would say if they ever spoke to me.

SO, with flowers in hand, and a sympathy card that I brought in the petrol station, I decided I simply had to show my condolences. I really felt so sorry for this poor lady losing her husband and couldn’t imagine her grief.

Martin, pulled up outside the house, and suggested I go to the side door. This was a step too far though, since I would have seen their garden where I fell, and felt it would be too ‘triggering’.  So, I tentatively went to the front door, which they clearly didn’t use. If nobody answered, I would leave them on the step I decided.

Thankfully, the recipient saw me through the front window and opened it to receive my flowers. She was extremely grateful, but her confused look told me she didn’t have the foggiest idea who I was.

“I’m the girl who borrowed your garden that time!” I explained, giving her a reassuring smile.

“Ooooh. You look fantastic!” she replied, a bit taken aback.  Well, I guess I must have looked a little better than I did sprawled out in her garden semi-conscious with a broken back and an army of paramedics around.

We chatted for a few minutes, and I discovered that she, too, is a writer. Consequently, we arranged to meet up and have a chat, and I promised her a signed copy of my book.

When I got back in the car, my husband said.

“I’m proud of you Nikki, that couldn’t have been easy.”  And he was right. But I didn’t even think about it when I saw the flowers and made the decision.

The moral of my story (if you can call it that), is that sometimes, when we want to do something good for someone, we must overcome our own obstacles to carry it out.

Doing good for others, always brings good karma.

http://mybook.to/Catchmeififall