A Shoelace, A Pharmacy Line And 5 Stories Of Everyday Kindness: Block Talk

If it seems kindness is hard to find in a world where anger and discord are amplified, these five stories speak louder.

They were submitted by readers who responded to our informal survey for Block Talk, Patch’s exclusive neighborhood etiquette column, when we asked them to share their experiences with kindness.

Together, their responses show a gentler world does exist; that kindness shown when people need it most can stay with them for years; and that it may take only seconds to make someone’s day. We hope these stories make yours.

‘Be Inspired By Example’

Didi, a New York City Patch reader from the Bronx, is 78. She was hit by a car when she was 10, and a decade ago the trauma she experienced then manifested in spinal stenosis and “a ticker tape of other conditions,” she said.

She still gets around well but uses a cane.

“Recently, as I was making my way to the store, my shoelace came untied. I was trying to figure out what to do with nowhere to sit and no place to put my cane,” she said.

“As I looked down, a man came along and asked, 'Do you need help?’ I said, ‘Actually, I do.’”

The man bent down, tied Didi’s shoelace, and wished her a blessed day. She thanked him, and they both went on their way.

“It was simple, less than a minute, but very valuable to me,” Didi said.

It was also valuable to others.

“A younger man getting into his car right there witnessed it. I called my son and told him about it,” Didi said. “I hoped that each of those younger men would, at some point, be inspired to follow that example.”

‘Kindness Is All Around’

“Kindness is all around us in our neighborhoods and communities,” said Branford (Connecticut) Patch reader Patty. “We just have to look a little harder for it because as a country right now we have a cloud of despair over us.

“Just yesterday,” Patty went on, she was at the Stop & Shop pharmacy when she watched a young employee help an older man in a way that reaffirmed her belief that kindness is the default setting for many people.

“He was moving slowly and a bit confused. She was calm and pleasant to the man, patiently helping him get all his items into one bag,” Patty said. “It warmed my heart to see a young person with empathy and compassion for an elderly person.”

The moment deserved attention, Patty thought.

“When she checked me out, I told her how sweet I thought she was to him,” she said. “I think she appreciated my comment.”

‘They Took Care Of Us’

Melissa, a New Haven (Connecticut) Patch reader, also thinks most Americans are kind.

“I think we should all focus on that, and not on the few who don’t care,” she said.

Melissa and her husband were surrounded by people who cared four years ago when a wrong-way driver hit their vehicle head-on.

“The kindness of those drivers around us was wonderful,” she said. “They took care of us until the police and ambulance arrived.”

Big And Small Gestures

Kindness isn’t always a big gesture. Many times it’s a smile and friendly acknowledgment.

Margaret, a Madison (Connecticut) Patch reader, has experienced both.

“People will say hello and smile even though I don’t know them,” she said. “Being an elderly handicapped woman, people will always ask if I need help.”

Kindness Is Circular

Sometimes, kindness keeps moving, according to Martie, a Buffalo Grove (Illinois) Patch reader.

“Being on in years, people show me kindness by opening and holding a store door open for me since they are getting harder for me to open,” she said.

Martie keeps the circle of kindness going before she ever leaves the store. She buys more than she needs and donates weekly to a local food pantry.

In addition to groceries, “I bring toiletries and such because people cannot use their SNAP benefits for these items,” she said.

Friends at her condo community are in the loop, too. They save their grocery sacks and bags, so Martie has more to drop off at the township office for the food pantry and Meals on Wheels programs — another turn in the circle of kindness in her community.

About Block Talk

Block Talk is a regular Patch feature offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com with Block Talk as the subject line.

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