Grief & healing: Kind people are still out there
I’ve been reminded by recent events that there is a lot of kindness in everyday life.
My husband, Baheej, was very kind and was always helping people. I think it was in his personality or genes. His father was also very kind and I think he was a very influential role model.
His father was always ready to assist another person resolve some problem, help find a solution. Baheej was like that.
I always appreciated that trait and I have personally have been the beneficiary of acts of kindness from others. These often come in little ways but help a lot in everyday living.
Some examples:
I have a very long driveway so it’s quite a difficult task to roll my trash and recycling out to the end for weekly pickup. Well, last week I was struggling to do just that, and one of the village workers who was with a crew removing a tree trunk out front rushed to help me, and took over rolling out both big bins.
At the grocery store it often happens that the person collecting carts from the large parking lot will stop and help me load my groceries. Certainly not in the job description. But very much appreciated by me.
My own housekeeper often volunteers to help with tasks that are not part of her job, but she wants to help.
Not long ago, I was searching for my car in a large parking lot at a hospital. But I could not find it. A sweet woman saw me searching and drove me around in her own car until we found it.
These may sound like small things, but they surely make life easier and more pleasant.
The point is, watching Baheej over the years taught me to be more personally tuned into the emotions and needs of others. In our best relationships, we have a positive influence on each other. Kindness begets kindness There’s a lot bad news in the world but there is lots of good too. A lesson I’ve never forgotten.
• Susan Anderson-Khleif of Sleepy Hollow has a doctorate in family sociology from Harvard, taught at Wellesley College and is a retired Motorola executive. Contact her at sakhleif@aol.com.