Coco Calling No.235 - The Kindness of Strangers

My owner and his wife have a son who, on reaching the age of 18, decided to fledge and leave the nest. In fact, he migrated off to a place called Thailand. He’s been having what humans call “a gap year” before going to university, so he’s spent six months over there, volunteering for an organisation that looks after the environment and helps teach English in local schools.

Having completed his six months, he recently had to make the journey home, which involved him climbing aboard three different flying machines. And, yes, he had to return home by the cheapest way possible, so this meant that he had a 12 hour stopover at Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia. And it wasn’t a very exciting experience, because he had no money to buy food, or to go out and explore the city. So as his 12 hours included an entire night, he simply pulled several chairs together and tried to fall sleep.

The hours passed by very slowly, and he inevitably felt very hungry. He didn’t actually talk to any other humans during this time, but someone had quietly noticed him. And when the airport sprang back into life the following morning, a lady with an Eastern European accent came up to him, and presented him with an unexpected breakfast. Yes, she’d bought him a sandwich, a muffin, some coffee and a glass of orange juice.

And having done her good deed, she disappeared again, and presumably caught a flight to wherever she was going.

If we are lucky enough to receive acts of kindness from strangers, it can be an overwhelming experience which can help us to believe in the goodness of humanity all over again. And if each one of us could only begin each day with the goal of being kind to someone, then the world in which we live will be transformed.

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

(Bishop Desmond Tutu: 1931-2021: Prominent South African Bishop)

“Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”

(Scott Adams: 1957 – present: American author and cartoonist)

“Whenever you’re feeling lonely, remember that there are people in this world who bless every one of us before they go to sleep at night. They may have never met you, but their hearts go out to you. They are true angels.” (L.J. Kane: 1999 – present: British author)

“How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time.” (Morgan Freeman: 1937 – present: American actor and director)

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” (Matthew 25: 35)

“Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.”

(Acts of the Apostles: 28: 1-2)