Friday, August 5, 2011

Why Random Acts Of Kindness Make You Feel Good

Yesterday, while I was shopping in our little town (one supermarket, two butchers, one newsagent and so forth) I spotted a banknote of large denomination lying on the footpath outside one of the butcher's shops. At first, I thought it was one of those fake trick notes that someone had stuck down on the footpath to watch as people tried to pick it up in order to have a laugh at someone else's expense. But when I bent to pick it up it was exactly what it seemed - a $100 note. There was no-one in the street at all, just me, my grand-daughter and a $100 note. I pondered what to do, knowing that if I'd lost that amount of cash, I'd be pretty devastated...........and decided that I needed to find it's owner if I possibly could. I dropped my grand-daugher off at the hairdresser, raced home to write a sign to put in the butcher's window, then dashed back to stick it up.

When I asked the lad in the shop if it would be OK, he said there had been a man searching high and low for the dropped note, but there seemed to be no sign of him any longer. We went out into the street and the butcher spotted the man disappearing into the newsagent's and pointed him out. I ran in there and went up to the fellow and just asked him if he'd lost some cash. "Yeah", he said, "A hundred dollars. It was my parents money - I've just come into town to buy their groceries. Now I don't know what I'm going to do". He looked really dejected and ill able to afford the loss of $100, so it gave me a really good feeling to be able to tell him that I'd found it and to give it back to him. His gratitude was almost overwhelming.............I believe he thought he would never see that money again.

So acts like this make you feel very good inside because you know you have helped a stranger out of a pickle and because it's the right thing to do. I'm a great believer in random acts of kindness - I do it quite often just because.

I hope he pays it forward.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway - you'll find it in the 3rd August post - I'll be drawing it on August 17th.

11 comments:

Klik said...

"I'm a great believer in random acts of kindness - I do it quite often just because."
I'm too :))) Thanks for this post :)

Cody Goodin said...

No truer words were ever spoken. I have made a random act of kindness and it does indeed feel good inside.

flyingbeader said...

How wonderful that you helped this young man & his parents by doing the right thing finding the owner of the money. I'm sure the Muses will reward you for this act of true kindness.

maddyrose said...

I too am a believer.

Unknown said...

I'm very impressed by your actions. You are blessed...

hugz
Pam

Heera said...

How lucky for the young man that you happened to be there.

Marisa said...

you did a good deed, I'm proud of you :)

JDConwell said...

I agree Susie. Those random acts of kindness go hand in hand with the "Butterfly Effect" if you ask me. I let somebody ahead of me in traffic, they smile at a weary clerk, the clerk helps an old lady reach the top shelf at the grocery...little ripples of "good" can go a loooooong way.

Good on ya for not only taking care of it, but for providing a useful object lesson for your wee girlie too.

Susie McMahon said...

Thanks for the affirmation, everyone........I knew it was the right thing. I've found out a little more about the chap whose money it was - he's about 50-ish and is his aged, sick parents' carer, I believe.
No small part of it was the example for my grand-daughter who is approaching 15. Anything I can do to help her develop her moral compass is a good thing, I think!

Meriel Eir said...

Wonderful. :)

Jo in TAS said...

He's very lucky you happened upon the $100 note. I also believe in kharma and your good deed will come back to you in many wonderful ways.
Hugs
Jo

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