“The best portion of a good man’s life  
is his little, nameless, unremembered  
acts of kindness and love.” 
~ William Wordsworth

I do them. So do you! It might be something as simple as holding a door open for someone entering or exiting a store. It might be slowing down a bit to allow the motorist in the next lane to merge into the lane ahead of you. It might even be paying for the coffee of the person behind you in the drive-thru line at your local Starbucks. Opportunities to do simple acts of kindness are available to us every day. Many people take advantage of such opportunities.

“Do unto others…” It’s such a simple concept. Sadly, however, there are those who simply don’t get it. These are the people who, because of either ignorance or arrogance, have no awareness or concern about those around them. These are the people who think only of themselves. These people exist.

I am convinced, however, that those individuals are far outnumbered by women and men who have a healthy awareness of those around them, and a compassionate concern for the needs of others. Our actions need not be life-changing, though they have the potential to be. 

I’m reminded of a story in one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books in which a high school freshman emptied out his locker at the end of a school day and was struggling carrying all his books home. A small group of bullies thought it would be funny to run past him and intentionally knock the books out of his arms. Another student, who witnessed this incident, crossed the street to help the boy pick up his belongings. In fact, he carried some of them himself and accompanied the boy back to his home.

Three years later, at the high school graduation ceremony, the boy who had the books knocked out of his arms that day was standing in front of his classmates, the school faculty, and guests as the valedictorian. Towards the end of his speech, he said he wanted to thank one person, in particular, for being responsible for his being there that day. He went on to describe the incident which had taken place in his freshman year, admitting that the reason he had all his books with him that day was that he was planning to go home and kill himself. Because of the kindness and compassion shown him by the young man who stopped to help him, he changed his mind.

For the boy who crossed the street to assist the young man, it was, more than likely, a simple, perhaps unremembered act of kindness. For the valedictorian, it was life-changing. We just never know.