Acts of kindness

I need a mini time out from consuming the hourly news.

This is not to minimise the disheartening stories coming out from the persisting coronavirus, nor to quell the urgency of the findings from the latest climate report from the IPCC, or even to extinguish the worry from the events unfolding in Afghanistan but I think it’s time for me to take a step back and consciously pay attention to the kindness that endures around me and the good fortunes I have to be grateful for.

Generosity. My red bin’s lid was recently broken on it's side. I’ve been really busy chasing deadlines that I didn’t get around to calling the council. So when bin day came around, I used a piece of string to reinforce the lid. When I arrived back home, it was no surprise to find that the string was not strong enough and had broken. I added, “call council re bin” to my to-do list, and left the empty bin by the curb so they could collect it the next day. The next morning though, before leaving for work, I found that my bin was fixed! Someone had attached a new screw to the lid - it was one of my neighbours who so generously spent the time to fix my bin. It was a really simple act of kindness. It reminded me of why I love being a part of the community I am in.

It could have been worse. I was about to leave to catch-up with another student to commiserate on the struggles of thesis-writing in our final 12 months when I hopped into my car and found it would not start. Did I leave the headlights on? No. Wait, when was the last car service - surely they would have told me if I needed to replace the battery? The car was serviced less than a year ago and the report said the battery was fine. How old is my battery? Just a year old. Okay, so why? Why? Why? Why? I realised I was feeling exasperated and stressed but soon recognized that of all the car hassles happening at the moment, I was lucky to be safe at home. All I really needed to do was let my friend know that I was okay but that we’d have to reschedule coffee. Then, I simply rang RAA who told me the car engine had ‘flooded’ when I started it the last time. It was a fairly simple fix after that. A very minor setback in the scheme of things, I didn’t really need to fret.

Here are a few other things I am grateful for this past week and the little acts of kindness I’ve received:

• A friend from interstate sending me a hug via a parcel-full of yummy treats, thoughtful books and nourishing food
• A peer sending through a recent academic paper he thought I’d really be interested in
• A surprise posy by my door
• My supervisor believing in me, and sending me a tweet to remind me that I am getting closer to the finish line, one day at a time

Life is mostly froth and bubble; two things stand like stone: kindness in another’s trouble, courage in our own.Adam Lindsay Gordon