Acts of Kindness, Reality & Perception

[Ascot]

I am fortunate to have been raised in an environment of respect and kindness and it is the place from which I try to live my life. I'm one who will open the door at the post office for the man struggling with several boxes and likely offer to carry a couple. I'll let someone who's been patiently waiting cut into traffic ahead of me. So what if I'm one car length farther back? (If it's a twerp who has been aggressively nudging, maybe not so much.) These little acts cost me absolutely nothing, yet I reap so much in return. That's not the reason I do it, but it is rather a lovely perk. As I've matured, I've become more aware of the merit of being sensitive to whether someone actually wants kindness from me. I've learned, strange though it might seem, that not everyone is open to such gestures. Perhaps they don't want to be perceived as needing help or maybe they're simply too wary of strangers. Who knows. The why really doesn't matter. For me, recognizing that reluctance is another form of kindness.