We are all born inherently good, but somewhere along the line, our experiences warp that perspective of life. We grow defensive and protective of ourselves, which prevents us from engaging in certain interactions. Our story today is about a man who is notorious in his neighborhood for lending a helping hand at any moment, even if it means pulling his car over to help an elderly person with some gardening. His kindness is contagious. Something his wife wishes their children would become infected with.
The right kind of contagion
In this modern world, we are well-versed in contagions. Negativity breeds more negativity, and we all seem to get swallowed whole by life’s troubles. This causes a culture of distance and defensiveness as we all try our best to protect ourselves in one of the only ways we know how. A man named Joshua is known for his kindness.
Instead of watching people struggle, he engages with them and offers a helping hand whenever possible, even if it means putting aside his plans. His family looks up to him, and his wife praises him every day for the support he gives, not only to them but to anyone in need. She wishes their children to learn and absorb this trait into their personalities. To this family, kindness is the ultimate contagion. We should all strive to be more like Joshua.
One day of kindness at a time
For Joshua, helping out is part of his daily needs. He never quite understood how people could stand by and watch others struggle without stepping in to lend a hand. A day wasn’t done until he could help someone, but this wasn’t an easy goal.
Josh and Sally’s two children were two and seven years old. Sally was determined for them both to take after his father’s compassionate side. She adored watching her eldest son and Joshua figure things out together until her second was old enough.
Change of plans
It had been a while since their little family had spent any real family time together because of Joshua’s busy schedule of work and helping those in need. Joshua got up one Sunday morning with a burst of energy and decided it was a great day for the beach. Their two children were jumping for joy and immediately grabbed their buckets and spades and put them in the car.
Once en route, Sally put on their favorite road trip playlist, and they set off. It was a joyous day, but no one expected the detour that would take place. Although, Sally thought to herself later on that she should have seen it coming.
While driving through the suburbs, getting close to the freeway, they passed an old man mowing his front lawn. That is to say, he was attempting to, but his mower electric mower was old, and still had a cord to connect it to power. He looked exhausted and frustrated, so Joshua glanced at Sally, and before she could even gesture for him to pull over, he was already doing so. She sighed and guessed their family outing had a change of plans.
Helping hands
At first, the old man resisted the help Joshua was offering. They could see he had been defiantly independent in his youth. However, it wasn’t long before he gave in and handed over his machine. Their eldest son hopped out of the car, shouting, “I’ll help you, Daddy!“
This melted Sally’s heart. She got their youngest from his car seat and set up the picnic she had packed for the beach on the part of the lawn the old man had already mowed. Joshua set out to mow the rest of the lawn while their son walked in front, removing any rocks from the mower’s path.
Sally and her youngest sat and watched the two men in her life mowing the lawn of this complete stranger. The man’s name was Jeremiah, and he was an elderly navy veteran. He fetched a camping chair from his house and some lemonade and sat with Sally. They chatted about life and his remarkable experience in the Navy. Both traumatic and inspiring at the same time.
When they were finished, the old man looked like he could burst into tears. He was so grateful. He offered some money to Joshua. Naturally, he refused to take it. Instead, they offered to come around once a month and enjoy a nice glass of fresh lemonade while they mowed his lawn. This became a monthly family outing, something they all looked forward to.
As their kids got older, their eldest started branching out to their other neighbor’s lawns. He would take their cordless mower and wheel it on over and start mowing. The neighbors would come to him at the end of the day to nicely mown lawn – a great surprise after a hard week of work.
Kindness is beneficial to us all
Being kind and helpful is beneficial to society in several ways. Firstly, it creates a sense of community and belonging. When people are kind and helpful to one another, it fosters a feeling of mutual trust and respect, leading to a stronger and more cohesive community. This is important because a strong community can better address the challenges and issues it faces.
Secondly, being kind and helpful leads to greater overall well-being and happiness. It wouldn’t be surprising to think that people who engage in acts of kindness and helpfulness are happier and have a greater sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. This is likely since helping others is a way of connecting with others and making a positive difference in the world.
Lastly, being kind and helpful benefits society because it creates a positive cycle of kindness and generosity. When people display kindness and compassion towards others, it often inspires those around them to do the same. This, in turn, creates a culture of kindness and generosity, which can tremendously impact a community’s overall well-being and happiness. In addition, when people are kind and helpful to others, it can inspire and empower others to do the same, which can have a ripple effect in society.
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This fictional story was inspired by stories from around the web. Any similarities between this story and actual people are purely coincidental.