by Brenna Novakowski
Embedded Files
published Fall 2018
I believe in being kind. Moreover, I believe in being kind to everyone I meet in today's busy world.
Every week I make a trip to the grocery. On one particularly bleak and unbearable cold day, I noticed a woman, shivering underneath her musty and soiled blankets. However, she had no sign asking for money. Her clothes were torn, and her hair was frayed. Her eyes, fatigued and hopeless, locked with mine for the briefest second. A smile began to form on her face.
Hello dear, she greeted me. Her voice was coarse and dried up from the cold weather. I meekly waved, darting away my eyes and scuttling into the store like a beetle.
Checking out in line, I couldn't help but take pity on this woman. Here she was, homeless and not asking for a dime. I inched along the icy sidewalk to my car, thinking of how I could do my part in helping her, and the answer became so clear. I approached the entrance again, this time walking directly to her. I received the same inviting smile that I'd gotten the first time.
I asked her if she had eaten dinner tonight and when she shook her head I told her that I wanted to buy her a hot meal. Her eyes lit up and pools formed in her eyes as she copiously thanked me.
When we arrived at the deli section of the store, I told her to get whatever she wanted to eat. I have never seen somebody look so much in awe, as if they were a child in a candy store. It was like she hadn't seen anything like this before, and chances were that she hadn't in a long time.
As I payed for her meal, a panini and small cup of soup, I noticed her hands picking at the lid of the soup container. Her skin was a series of canyons, cut deep and rough, with blood flowing through the cracks.
We were about to part ways when I stopped and turned towards her. I reached into my purse and pulled out my favorite pair of wool gloves. She looked puzzled. I handed her my gloves and told her they'd help with the dryness. Graciously, she put on the gloves and smiled one last time at me, exposing her slightly yellow and crooked teeth, that now looked beautiful to me. I told her to take care and walked away. Nothing more needed to be said. As I looked back once more, I saw her chasing around one of the gloves that had blown away in the harsh wind, with a smile on her face.
I drove away that day knowing that was one of the kindest things I have ever done. Everybody's life is different, and being kind means putting aside those differences and helping out someone else. Being kind to everyone does not include judging others, or hoping for something in return. Being kind to everyone I meet is hard to do in today's busy world, but it is something that everybody should do. This, I believe.
Page updated
Report abuse