Random Act

There’s something about performing a random act of kindness that leaves you changed.

Yesterday I was fretting about what I want to create next and not getting clear answers. I wanted to feel in-the-flow and wholeheartedly invested in something, but couldn’t figure out what that might be. Then a random opportunity happened my way.

I was walking in Victoria Park with a friend and I pointed out the memorial of a young woman who was killed in 1998 in a mountain biking accident there. Her family had planted a tree in her memory and the humble shrine was completely covered with weeds. The tree looked sickly and the flowers beneath it were dry and faded. There was even an empty soda can sitting next to them and a shattered plastic vase.

(Ever since I bumped into the deceased woman’s mother tending the site a few years ago, and she shared her story, I have wanted to offer my support. I can’t imagine a more intense grief than losing your child.)

My friend and I got stuck in. He weeded the long grass and cleared the debris while I gathered pinecones. We found a huge pile of bark and brought bags of it to lay on the weeded ground. We made two trips to a nearby drinking fountain for water to quench the thirsty tree.

45 minutes later we stood back in awe at the transformation. The shrine was radiant and so were we.

I’m not sure it matters so much what we do here but how we do what we do. The feeling of bringing your heart to a random act of kindness is utterly delicious. Here’s to the next random opportunity…