The Kindness of Strangers

Moments of Kindness

I never know when someone is going to help me. Not that I’m too needy… but things happen.

Two years ago, we were staying at a disappointing resort in North Truro in Cape Cod, when we shared a table with a couple during breakfast. The guy said something like, “There’s this great place near here that’s on the beach, not even a road to cross, it’s amazing.”

I wrote down the name of the place and we went to check it out. It really was amazing! And this came from a stranger! Of course, we learned you have to reserve on January 2nd to stand a chance of getting a room and all that. But still – it was the kindness of this stranger that led me there.

The next summer, while we stayed in the on-the-beath resort for our week in heaven, I had a sharp pain in my lower back. Something I hadn’t experienced in years. I had probably worked out too hard…Anyway, I found a Jacuzzi at this resort, got in and felt some relief. When a guy and his wife got in with me, we talked about it and he told me a story from hell about his own bad back and the book that helped him. As soon as I got out of the Jacuzzi, I got myself an e-version of the book and wouldn’t you know? It’s amazing!

What is this force for good?

The Good Exists in All of Us

Years ago, I tried to come up with a tangible understanding of God. Here’s what I landed on: If I were at a busy street crossing in New York City where I live, and I absentmindedly stepped out just as a truck came speeding by and was about to hit me – maybe kill me – I have no doubt that the people around me would reach out, grab me, and pull me out of harm’s way.  

I figured this instinct to help, to be good, exists in everyone.  Sometimes strong, sometimes weak, but potentially always there. That’s what became my tangible God: the sum of all those little instincts to do good that exist in all people, that adds up to a powerful force. God, made tangible.