Random Act of Kindness

This weather is going to be the death of me this year. All the talk about global warming we hear doesn't seem to affect us in blustery New England. This is the umpteenth time I've shoveled the driveway and it was probably the most snow we've seen all season.

These days I have my son come out and help. Which, is difficult to watch. He reminds me of a fish flapping around on a deck of a boat. Lots of effort but little result. As much as I try and explain the laws of physics and how it relates to the shovel, it doesn't click in his twelve year old brain. There is lots of falling over the shovel and awkward movements.

At one point I had paused, mid driveway, to look enviously over at my neighbor, on a quad with a plow. I found myself standing in his view, admittedly trying to look as pathetic as possible. Well it yielded nothing. So I went back to moving snow, a little bit at a time and turning my back to the whipping wind.

My boy, who had gone back in to rest and warm up, came back outside and was complaining about snow in his boots. I had no comment and he just went back to ... cleaning off my car. When I happen to glance down the driveway and saw two guys with shovels were standing there.

"You need some help?"

"Well YEAH, that'd be great. I can't pay you though, is that okay?"

(my son picks that very moment to pipe up about how he has money, I might have jabbed him with my shovel)

"Who has any money these days? We sure don't."

And then they proceeded to shovel my driveway. I kept at it but they both were making it happen alot quicker than I could. For good measure, my boy fell a few times, sliding on the ice under the snow.

When it was all done, I introduced myself and the older guy explained that he lives on the top floor across the street and saw me painstakingly making little progress. I laughed and couldn't thank them both enough.

I love life sometimes, when you least it expect it, a total stranger does something kind for you.

And I plan to pay it forward.