The Power of Small Acts

Never underestimate the value of a kind word, smile, positive gesture, or open ear. Small acts of generosity and kindness can significantly improve another person's day. Of course, you know that...we've all heard that or similar bits of wisdom.  

I'm keenly aware of the people I encounter who genuinely and consistently offer small acts of generosity and kindness, as well as the recipient's response. My friend George and I have met for coffee almost every morning for the past 10 years.  For most of those 10 years, George would sit in our favorite coffee shop with George facing the incoming door. As customers would enter, if they turned their heads slightly to the right, they would see George and hear, "Good morning. Everything on the right track?" or another of George's stock greetings. Each customer would smile and say, "Yeah!"  What a welcome! It was a welcome that customers quickly became accustomed to and expected. That simple greeting and small gesture provided a much-appreciated "feel good."

My older and favorite brother passed away in his mid-forties. An unexpected and emotional loss for family and friends. But at his memorial, a lovely lady in the audience asked if she could say a few words. She walked up to the podium smiling with tears and told a brief story: "Early each morning, I walk to work and pass Myron's barber shop. He would be standing behind the large plate glass window, preparing to start the day, typically before dawn. About a block before I reached his shop, I would begin to smile, and my pace would pick up, knowing that Myron would be in the window smiling and waving. What a way to start my day. I will miss his smile and wave."

These stories are continuous reminders of the power of small gestures and the kindness of George and my brother.