The Importance of Accepting Random Acts of Kindness from Strangers

There is nothing like an unsolicited, random act of kindness from a stranger. Or is there?

In this day and age, random acts of kindness from complete strangers sometimes do not go over as well as intended. While a person may love to perform such acts, being on the receiving end is perhaps another story. Think about it - how many times has someone you didn't know attempted to do something nice for you, and you were less than gracious in accepting their kindness?

Of course, there are a number of different reasons why people struggle with this. It is becoming less easy to trust strangers these days. We fear for our safety. We wonder if a person is doing something nice because they have ulterior motives. We may have had the wool pulled over our eyes before and don't want it to happen again. And sometimes, we simply are caught off guard because we do not expect the best out of others.

Occasionally we find ourselves in situations where an act of kindness from a stranger is a lifesaver. I will never forget my own experience as a new driver many years ago, at a busy toll station in Chicago during rush hour traffic. I had just gotten off work in the suburbs and was on my way back to the city. Prior to arriving at the toll station, I had the exact amount of change - nothing more, nothing less. So when I arrived, to expedite things I shot over to an automated booth and prepared to pay. However, while flinging my handful of coins into the basket, one escaped and was nowhere to be found.

If you've ever been on a toll road during rush hour traffic, you know just how chaotic it can be. My first inclination was to cut over to one of the booths that had a cashier, but when I looked behind me, there was a long line of cars with drivers eagerly awaiting their turn to pay so that they could proceed to their respective destinations. I sat there looking and feeling like a complete idiot for about 2 minutes (which felt more like two days) as people began to blow their horns at me, until someone came from out of nowhere and popped a coin into the basket for me to pay the difference that I owed. I would soon learn that this was a driver from a couple of cars back who had figured out what the problem was and decided to come to my rescue.

"Thank you," I said nervously as he chuckled. "No problem - have a nice day," the gentleman replied before heading back to his car. While he may have felt this was necessary in order to get things moving once again, his kindness saved me that day. I was young, new to driving regularly and my problem-solving skills were not kicking in at that very moment.

I do find that even today, I am sometimes caught off guard when someone that I do not know does something nice for me - such as letting me go ahead of them in the check-out line at the grocery store even though they were there first. However, I try to do these things for people very often, and it makes me feel good to know that I have made someone's life a little easier, saved them a little time, or simply brightened their day. If it makes me feel good, then why should I deprive someone else of the chance to do something kind?

Accepting random acts of kindness from strangers is not a sign of weakness or naivety. While everyone does need to exercise caution and good judgment in a time when some people use seeming acts of kindness to lure or manipulate unsuspecting individuals, I strongly believe that most people are kind simply because they choose to be. It gives them a sense of inner peace and joy to know that they have done something positive for another human being - however big or small.