Acts of Random Kindness

I am a random movie watcher. Especially these days...you know, these days where all I do is sit around with my leg up. Because my days are so boring, I sleep alot. And because I sleep alot during the day, I DON'T sleep a lot at night. So I watch stuff like "How to Marry a Millionaire", and "Ocean's Thirteen", and "Evan Almighty". Yeah, I said it. Evan Almighty. Quick synopsis: Evan, former anchorman, becomes a senator or something on the platform of Being the Change. He says a prayer of thanks for his new lot in life and prays for his family to become closer. God comes to him and says you want change? Start by building an ark. Hilarity ensues. Moral of the story: Change comes from Acts of Random Kindness (get it? A.R.K. yeah well, they were reaching, but I still find this movie ridiculously funny)

Anyways that's the subject of today's blog, boys and girls...umm...boy and girl? Okay, YOU.
RANDOM KINDNESS.

I just flew back from the Dirty South (and boy, are my arms tired..LOL. Ok. Sorry. I couldn't resist), and I was completely taken aback by the KINDNESS of the people that I met at the airport. This trip was especially trying for me because I was flying back for a funeral and so prone to being emotional, I was in a cast and so had to rely on perfect strangers to get me where I was going AND I was also in pain because the longer my leg was down, the more swollen it would become.

Don't get me wrong, the airport staff were surprisingly helpful. Should they be ashamed that I was surprised at their helpfulness? Or should I be shamed because I'm so used to maltreatment at LAX? Hmm.. They carted me around in my wheelchair and kept up friendly chatter. They didn't make me feel like it was a hassle to drag some lady in a pink cast around. Which I appreciate; I'm young enough to not like having to be carted around, and old enough to realize that they were doing it because it was their job, but it was the ATTITUDE that made the difference.

I'm talking about the people. The people who where on their way to Houston, or Florida or Tennessee. Stopping to help me pick up junk I've dropped trying to walk with crutches AND carry a purse. People who pulled my crutches from the overhead instead of making me wait on the flight attendant. The extremely nice man who had never been to the big city (when he found out I hailed from Los Angeles), who walked behind me when I got on the crop duster to my final destination...just in case I fall backwards (because walking on crutches up a ramp for the first time is much more difficult that you'd think) will be there to catch me.

People I'd only just met, and I'm sure will never see again. Kinder than kind. Helping me when I'm wobbling on my crutches, 'cause it's late, I'm tired and I've been on the freaking plane for 5 hours already and my leg is killing me and I STILL have to change planes ONE.MORE.TIME.

Maybe to them, picking up my crap wasn't a big deal. Or maybe the chick got my crutches down because they were in her way. Mayybe. Or maybe they just did it because I looked tired, or I was in a cast and looked like I could use some help. Either way, it made my trip easier to get through.

And it made me realize that these itty bitty acts of kindness, DO actually make a difference. After all, if the nice person hadn't picked up my crap when I dropped it walking over to the check-in terminal, I wouldn't have had my ID. Without my ID, I couldn't not have gotten on that plane. Then I would have been turning the place out, having a meltdown about how I JUST HAD MY ID and what kind of shithole airport is this where they rob women on crutches and THEN they would have called Airport Police where I would have gotten arrested, and The Man was already 1/2way to where he was going and would have said "Keep her trouble-making ass in lock up until I return." Then I would have to kill him, and then I'd be in jail for attempted murder and I can assure you, I don' t have enough bail money for that kind of drama.

Maybe I can't save the world. But maybe I can prevent somebody from going postal by just one teeny tiny Act of Random Kindness. Sometimes that's all it takes to make a difference.