It was Father's Day. My dad wanted to go to this small restaurant by the Hudson River up in Cold Spring, New York, so we went. It was a cute place, set in an old train station with mostly outdoor seating. There was a band playing soft rock under a stone gazebo, promising to play a train song every time the train went by, which was about every fifteen minutes. There weren't a lot of other people there, yet. Just a few other family parties, including a dog curled around the seat of a young woman. Not a lot of people were paying attention to the band, but we all politely clapped our applause after they were done with each set.
By the time our dinner came, all the tables around us were full of celebrating families, and there was a wait of about 30 minutes. One of the tables next to us was being occupied by an older gentleman, sitting alone. He was just sitting there wearing a pair of sunglasses, smiling, and softly singing along with the band. He joined in the clapping after each set, too. He must have been a regular, because several waiters and waitresses went over to say hello to him and ask where the missus was, to which he replied at home, sick in bed.
My family and I all kind of looked at each other. We felt bad that he was spending Father's Day alone, and even worse that his wife was sick, so we decided to do something nice.
When we were leaving, we all said hello to him and wished him a happy Father's Day. He smiled and thanked us, never knowing that we had just paid his bill.
I was already in a good mood because of the good food and a nice day out exploring the town with my family, but doing that made me feel like a million bucks. It just felt nice to do something good for someone else, for someone I didn't know.
We were all told in kindergarten to be kind to other people. It's the Golden Rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. But as we get older, and our own stresses build up, and we can't see past our own huge to-do list, we sometimes forget about the people we don't know. Every one around us is carrying a weight on their shoulders that we can't see, and sometimes even the smallest act of kindness—holding a door open, giving them a compliment—can make that weight seem a little lighter.
So, here's my challenge to all of you: go out today and do one random act of kindness for a complete stranger. It doesn't have to be big. I'm not asking you to go out, choose a house at random, and pay for their mortgage. Just one small act of kindness. I promise, you'll make their day ten times better, and you'll feel a little better, yourself.
