By Staff
January 23rd, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
“This morning while out for a bike ride I hit a bit of ice and ended up crashing.
“I was wearing a helmet but still ended up dazed and feeling wobbly.
An Act of Kindness
“As I was pulling myself together two “Good Samaritans” came to my aid. They helped me get back on my feet and over to a bench where I rested and then stayed with me while I had a chance to recover.
“It turns out my Good Samaritans were Glenn, a recently retired Firefighter and Annie. Glenn knew concussion protocols and all the right questions to ask…I was in good hands.
“Thank you Glenn and Annie for stopping to help.”
Bob Barrett suggests that we create an Act of Kindness column:
“It strikes me , said Barrett, “that in our world, which is tilting severely to anger and fear, there should be a place in the Burlington Gazette for a column where acts of kindness can be the highlight.”
Let’s see what happens – we are open to any and every civilized idea.
I love the idea of an act of kindness column. I seek out feel-good stories and often skip past News and go to Arts or Life first for that very reason. The news is beyond depressing now, it’s downright scary, and it’s very easy to lose faith in humanity.
I’m glad Bob had these kind people come to his aid. Random acts of kindness do exist every day – and we don’t even need to know the names of the kind people to report on what we saw or experienced ourselves.
I recently read a suggestion which I have come to try to adopt: say or do one kind thing to/for a stranger every day – such as give them a compliment or assist them in some small way. It brightens the moods of both of you and probably carries on like a little chain as well. It can be very small. For example, I like telling strangers “I love your coat” or something similar (and I’m serious – if I say it, I DO love it). Every time I say something like that, they have responded with a big smile and thank you. Surely it made them feel good for a second.
But, editor: please change the headline: “How Many are There?” – not “their” 😉