The Kindness Impulse – An Uplifting Story
There are no strangers here
Just friends you haven’t yet met.
… William Butler Yeats
We are born with an innate tendency to connect with others. Larry calls it the kindness impulse.
In our culture today, many people feel disconnected from each other, even at work and in their apartment building or neighborhood.
Most of us are able to create connections – through work, school, or places of worship or through shared interests. Now, we can also connect online with people we would not be likely to meet otherwise. That has opened a door to a virtual community.
Today we celebrate the online platform Nextdoor, which enables people to reach out to strangers, in a neighborhood and beyond, to share information, to ask for suggestions on finding what they need, to ask for help with a problem or to offer help.
I recently turned to Nextdoor to help our friend, Laura. I posted this request for help:
"Do you have a bicycle that you are not using?
Our friend, Laura, is living on the street. She recently lost her bicycle, which she depended on to get her to the services and counseling that help her, not only to survive, but to get her life turned around. Her bike had two baskets behind the seat, straddling the back wheel, which enabled her to carry her sleeping bag and other belongings with her. Her bike also had excellent speed.
Laura is a kind, gentle woman who has experienced serious challenges in her life. If you have or know of someone who has a bicycle that could help her navigate the obstacles in her daily life, please contact me. Thank you for your kindness.”
Posting a request on Nextdoor is opening a door for people to help, and two strangers felt the kindness impulse.
Matt replied, “I might have one, how tall is she?” and Amy wrote, “Lemme know if I can help! Rack? Basket? Bike lock? Water cages & bottles.”
It turned out that Matt has a bicycle and motorcycle maintenance and repair business, and he happened to have just the right bike for Laura. He also had the baskets that Laura needed. He put in the time to refurbish the bike, and Amy contacted him and covered his out-of-pocket expenses.
The highlight of my week was being present when Laura took her new bike for a trial run. There were some tears of joy.
Now, if we ever want help, for ourselves or for someone else, we know to turn to Nextdoor first. We encourage you to do the same or find another online platform that connects people. Our community really is larger than we realized – and so is yours.
We believe that we all have a kindness impulse within us. It enriches our lives when we follow its calling.
Image by Constanze Riechert-Kurtze from Pixabay
The 7 Cs of kindness are words that define important aspects of a kindness journey. We invite you to check them out: Choice, Commitment, Connection, Curiosity, Courage, Compassion and Change.
This moved me to tears! Thank you so much for sharing this story. These are the interactions that give me faith in God and Humanity being created in the likeness of God. Kindness is how you show love and is the most important thing to me, and I have had a tough time recently seeing, feeling and showing it. This post made me think of an artist I used to listen to on repeat years ago. This song is all about kindness! https://youtu.be/mJhZ64BvvFU
Thank you, Jennifer. Nimo Patel is one of our favorites also, and we often turn to his music when we need an uplift.