What kindness can do for us?

Sometimes, 90 seconds is all it takes to change our lives forever!

I was driving home from work one day. Had picked up my 3 year old from my mom's place on the way and was waiting at a signal. 

It was a chilly 4 degrees outside and we were grateful to the car heater for keeping us warm.

Just then this homeless woman selling balloons with a li'l girl (perhaps a year old or so) hanging from her waist emerged at our car window.

It was apparent from her hard-to-miss expression that she was hoping to quickly sell the balloons so that she would have enough money to feed the baby and herself. 

I rolled down the window, took a balloon, paid for it and gave it to my daughter.

The girl was looking at my daughter without any expression and wouldn't let the woman move. 

She tightly clenched to the juice tetrapack that someone had given to her.

My daughter was looking intently too and started howling for the juice pack. She demanded that I got the juice pack from the little girl and gave to her.

I explained that it wasn't hers to demand but she pushed along.

Suddenly, this woman, who was watching, knocked and signaled me to roll down the window.

When the window went down, she took the tetra pack from the girl and offered it to me.

I was shocked! She was standing outside, insufficiently covered to keep the cold out but her grace was unbelievable and the kindness in her eyes was conspicuous.

I gathered myself and told her that it was OK and that she should have it for her little girl but she pressed on saying that her daughter didn't know what it was.

She, further added that she wasn't looking for money in return and that she offered the pack only because my girl was crying.

By this time, my daughter had gotten buzy with the balloon.

I took out a couple of chocolates from my bag and handed them over to her before moving on. She had left such an impression on me that I found myself returning to the signal the next day with some old sweaters to give to her. Her eyes twinkled when she saw the clothes and immediately put one on her daughter.

Its been some time since this incident happened , but her eyes and face remain etched in my memory like I saw her yesterday. Her actions, her compassion, her kindness, despite her own apparent hardships are difficult to forget. Everytime, we pass this signal, I look for her, sometimes she is there, sometimes she is not.

They often say that kindness can strike in the most unexpected of places! And that :

Unexpected Kindness is the most powerful, least costly and most underrated agent of human change!

#Kindness is contagious, it spreads and infects people who come in touch. To give without purpose, to express gratitude for what we have, to do charity and to do so inspite our own situation can arouse desire and emotion amongst those who witness it to indulge in similar acts of kindness themselves.

When you feel low in life, when the going gets tough.

Don't get bitter!

Choose kindness!

#motivation

#whatinspiresme

#happiness

#personalbranding

Vartika Kashyap, Anthony J James Gary Vaynerchuk Oleg Vishnepolsky