Not yet extinct

Sometimes, when I begin to lose all hope in humanity, the random act of a complete stranger turns my thinking right around. I mean, there are so many horrible things going on in the world that often  we turn a blind eye to the good and wonderful. And then, when something incredible happens, it's a bit of a wake up call.

Now, these are not the musings of someone who was sitting around all day trying to come up with a good topic to write about, no. I have reason to speak of this, and what happened tonight at my family's Mother's Day dinner made me realize that human kindness is not yet extinct.

You see, earlier today my father and I went to the homeshow that took place in our recreation center, something we've been doing since I was a little girl. I've been to at least a dozen homeshows; many of them being in Vancouver, and I've met and spoken to countless interesting knowledgeable people, but today's group of new acquaintances beat them all.  

First off, we had a long visit with a young couple that were selling egyptian cotton bedsheets. They were so much alike, I can see why they've been together for over 4 years. On the physical level they were both short, about my height which is 5 foot 3 and a half, maybe a smidge taller, and had fantastic people skills. The man was 25 years old and made me feel like an old friend even though I had only known him for a few minutes. He looked me straight in the eyes and really communicated with me on an entirely different level than what I'm used to. (Usually adults get nervous when they realize I'm not your average stupid teenager and don't know how to relate to me, ignoring my comments and avoiding eye contact at all costs lest they get blasted away by my evil death ray...no I don't really have a death ray.) The woman was 26 and exactly the same. After quite some time of talking to her boyfriend, I got worried that she might think I was flirting, which I was not, so I turned my attention to her. I asked her questions, learned that she was actually an aspiring actor, and got to know her a bit as well - turns out we have a fair amount in common. Anyways, as we were saying goodbye, the man gave me his e-mail address, saying if I was ever in Vancouver and needed a place to stay, I should simply give him a shout. These are not locals and this is only the first example of the kindness I witnessed today.

The second episode was with a woman selling a honey product, a cream actually, that is good for all sorts of things; eczema, acne, burns, sunburns, rashes etc... made in Canada no less! When she first demonstrated the lotion, she only put it on my hands, but once she caught sight of my horrible sunburn (I think it must be a second degree sucker, peeling and scabbing and itching, oh my!) she put a dollop on my father's fingers and had him work it into my back and shoulders. It burned a tiny bit but helped in the long run. Unfortunately I had no money and couldn't buy a jar from her at the time, but hoped I might see her again so I could do so in the future.
Let's just say the future came sooner than I expected.

Since today is Mother's Day I decided to take my parents out for dinner at a nice seaside restaurant and who should I find there? The lotion lady! Half way through our desserts, the woman and her husband (I found out they just got married this January, Congratulations!) began talking to my parents and before I knew what was happening, she was setting a small container of the cream on the table in front of me saying "I saw you and thought of that sunburn and told [my husband] he just had to get you some out of the car! So this is for you, for free." I was dumbfounded to say the least, and so appreciative. It has been exactly a week since my skin got roasted after those eight hours of working in direct sunlight and although it is slowly healing, the itch and temptation to scratch has become nearly unbearable. Now to speed the process!

So although it is unlikely that any of these people will read this post, I still want to say thank you again for reminding me of the beauty that DOES still exist in the world. And if I have somehow encouraged even one of my readers to rediscover random kindness for themselves, I am a success.