About a year ago, my son Geoffrey phoned me one evening with what I thought was an unusual question.

“Did you enjoy your coffee this morning?”

“Yes, Geoffrey,” I said. “I enjoy it every morning.”

“Do you often go there for coffee?”

“Where?” I was so confused. “I had coffee at home like usual.”
“But I saw you this morning. You were behind me in the drive-thru, and I bought your coffee.”

“Geoffrey, I promise you that I was not in any drive-thru this morning.”

“Well I paid for someone’s coffee.”

“On behalf of the blonde woman in the white SUV like mine, thank you.”

I hoped that his action brightened the stranger’s day as much as it did mine. I also made a mental note to do that for someone else.

I regret to admit that since that phone call, I have not practiced that particular random act of kindness.

The phrase is traced back to a restaurant in a Sausalito, California in 1982 where Anne Herbert scrawled the words “practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty” on a place mat. From there the concept spread and continues to prompt unplanned, caring actions.

These actions don’t have to cost a penny. Giving a sincere compliment, smiling, letting someone get in front of you at the grocery store, or making a phone call to someone you know needs a listening ear are all examples of ways we can show compassion.

And I hope that when I do decide to buy a cup of coffee, I think of my son and treat the person in line behind me. In the meantime, if you look like me and drive a white vehicle, get in line behind Geoffrey.

 

Ronny Michel can be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.