yet another
delightful encounter
with a stranger
at trader joe’s
when checking out
my cashier
put the chocolate i was buying
into my hand
‘i know this isn’t going far.’
spot on.
working there a long time
knows what chocolate means to some people
rarely looks them in the eye
the chocolate gave him a reason to do so
i told him to
have a good day
he told me to
have a good life.
—
‘good things happen when you meet strangers’
-yo-yo ma
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A wildlife hospital just solved a hilarious case of mistaken identity.
On Thursday, a woman brought in a baby hedgehog to the Lower Moss Nature Reserve and Wildlife Hospital in Cheshire, England — only to be told it wasn’t an animal in need, but a beanie hat pop-pom.
The caring woman had picked up the ‘hedgehog’ from the side of the road after she noticed it “hadn’t moved or pooped all night,” reported U.K. newspaper The Independent.
“From a distance, you take it at face value. She didn’t handle it at all — she scooped it in a box with some cat food and left it alone in a warm, dark place,” veterinarian Janet Kotze, told the paper.
“She did everything so well. She barely peeked at it because she didn’t want to stress it out.”
“It was pretty obvious to us but I can also see how she was mistaken,” she recalled. “She said, ‘You’re joking! Oh my goodness, how did I do that?’ ”
“She was so concentrated on doing the right thing. She was concerned it hadn’t moved or even pooed — that would be spooky if it had,” Kotze added.
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The wildlife hospital wrote of the rescue attempt on Facebook, “Our hearts melted as a kind soul thought she was rescuing a baby hedgehog,” as they jokingly nicknamed the pop-pom ‘hoglet.’
Despite the mistake, the reserve shared that the “adorable” new visitor “still got all the love, complete with some cozy TLC.”
“Remember, kindness knows no bounds, even when it’s to a faux furry friend! 🐾,” the wildlife hospital added while highlighting the importance of rescuing hedgehogs in vulnerable situations.
“Please remember, if you spot a hedgehog out during the day, it’s a sign something’s not right. Pop them in a box with a warm source and seek help from your local vets. Let’s keep our prickly friends safe!”
—
“he was so benevolent, so merciful a man that, in his mistaken passion, he
would have held an umbrella over a duck in a shower of rain.”
-douglas william jerrold
—
p.s. confession: this could have easily been me. especially if i didn’t have my glasses on.
where are those kids going and what are they up to?
—
today we went back to the farm
to see how it has changed since our fall visit
there were no leaves
there were no pumpkins
there were lots of new babies
there was not a lot of green
but the animals were as sweet as ever
and that never changes.
—
‘to teach children that animals have certain rights
creates in their minds a respect and regard for life.’
*-caroline earle white
*Caroline Earle White founded the first animal shelter in the United States in 1869. Born on September 28, 1833 in Philadelphia, Penn., White became an influential figure not only in animal welfare, but also fought for women’s suffrage and equality. White and a group of 30 women activists created the Women’s Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (WPSPCA), America’s first official animal shelter. Later known as the Women’s Humane Society, the organization pioneered programs that helped save homeless animals and employed animal cruelty officers to prevent and punish animal abuse. The organization still operates today as the Women’s Animal Center.
a delightful surprise
getting back into the car
thinking of my next stop
a gentle knock on my window
opened to hear a smiling stranger say,
‘i just wanted to give these to you, have a beautiful day.’
holding this lovely little bouquet
making my way back into the day
made all the sweeter with this gift.
—
“happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower.”
– john arrigan
the kinder were very worried about a tree that had lost some of its bark
they spent a long time finding little chunks of bark lying on the ground
trying to piece it back together and fill it in like a puzzle.
some had questions about how it might have fallen off.
‘was it a big, big storm?’
‘did something hurt it?’
‘did it get sick?’
some had thoughts about the tree.
‘i remember this tree from when we played here.’
‘that’s kind of sad.’
‘don’t worry, i saw in a book that it will be okay.’
try as they might, they couldn’t get the bark
to stick back on the bare part of the trunk
they left the pieces nearby on the ground around it
used a stick to mark where it was
gave it a hug before we walked back to our classroom.
—
“there’s nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend.”
-bob ross
“the best way to get along with people is not to expect them to be like you.”
-joyce meyer
—
art credit- L Józef Wilkoń – Leopanter
(not our real hands, but good for perspective)
mine is the tinkerbelle hand with a minor ‘injury’ and his, the paul bunyan hand with a major trauma.
waiting in the store checkout line
browsing through my phone
the man in front of me
laughing and chatting with the cashier
saying it was a challenge to sign the receipt
because of his hand
hearing this
turned to face him
beginning to take in the situation
(major cast on his arm and hand)
while i quickly blurted out:
“it’s the worst, isn’t it?!”
whining about having an injury too
he asked me what happened
explaining the battle with my car door
he had a young daughter with him
was so kind and gentle with her
laughing and chatting
just as he had done with the cashier
when i asked him what happened
wondering why he had such a big cast
he told me his story
it involved him trying to stop someone
from stealing his fiancee’s car
and
a dog attack
instant perspective shift
before i could say anything
he turned to go
saying,
“i’m sorry that happened to you and i hope you heal really soon.”
all i could say was, “you too..”
how fortunate the people in his life are
even the strangers he encounters in his day
lucky to cross paths with him
this gentle giant
walks softly
teaching huge lessons.
—
“look at you comforting others with the words you want to hear.”
-author unknown
the kinder discovered a pathway on a hill
covered in beautiful, kind, and encouraging stones
created by the older children
left behind for them to find
“what sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.
these are but trifles, to be sure;
but scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.”
-joseph addision
In May of 2013, celebrated author and MacArthur ‘genius’ George Saunders took the podium at Syracuse University and delivered a masterpiece of bequeathable wisdom, the commencement address. A year later it was adapted in “Congratulations, by the way: Some Thoughts on Kindness”, designed and hand lettered by Chelsea Cardinal.
With his gentle wisdom and disarming warmth, Saunders manages to dissolve some of our most deeply engrained culturally conditioned cynicism into a soft and expansive awareness of the greatest gift one human being can give another — those sacred exchanges that take place in a moment of time, often mundane and fleeting, but echo across a lifetime with inextinguishable luminosity.
I’d say, as a goal in life, you could do worse than: Try to be kinder.
In seventh grade, this new kid joined our class. In the interest of confidentiality, her name will be “ELLEN.” ELLEN was small, shy. She wore these blue cat’s-eye glasses that, at the time, only old ladies wore. When nervous, which was pretty much always, she had a habit of taking a strand of hair into her mouth and chewing on it.
So she came to our school and our neighborhood, and was mostly ignored, occasionally teased (“Your hair taste good?” — that sort of thing). I could see this hurt her. I still remember the way she’d look after such an insult: eyes cast down, a little gut-kicked, as if, having just been reminded of her place in things, she was trying, as much as possible, to disappear. After awhile she’d drift away, hair-strand still in her mouth. At home, I imagined, after school, her mother would say, you know: “How was your day, sweetie?” and she’d say, “Oh, fine.” And her mother would say, “Making any friends?” and she’d go, “Sure, lots.”
Sometimes I’d see her hanging around alone in her front yard, as if afraid to leave it.
And then — they moved. That was it. No tragedy, no big final hazing.
One day she was there, next day she wasn’t.
End of story.
Now, why do I regret that? Why, forty-two years later, am I still thinking about it? Relative to most of the other kids, I was actually pretty nice to her. I never said an unkind word to her. In fact, I sometimes even (mildly) defended her.
But still. It bothers me.
So here’s something I know to be true, although it’s a little corny, and I don’t quite know what to do with it:
What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness.
Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded … sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly.
Or, to look at it from the other end of the telescope: Who, in your life, do you remember most fondly, with the most undeniable feelings of warmth?
Those who were kindest to you, I bet.
But kindness, it turns out, is hard — it starts out all rainbows and puppy dogs, and expands to include . . . well, everything.
—
credits: Maria Popova, Chelsea Cardinal, George Saunders
I didn't have my glasses on.... 