Elevator etiquette and random acts of kindness

Picture this. I’ve worked a 12-hour day, I’m loaded down like a pack mule with purse, briefcase and laptop. Fellow workers are piling into the elevator as I approach. I’m five steps away as the doors begin to close. No one makes eye contact except one woman who meets my anxious gaze but takes no action to hold open the door. I keep walking forward, but I’m too slow. The doors shut with a thump and I’m left to wait in the cold parking garage for the elevator’s return.

This scenario happens often enough that it has become one of my pet peeves at the office. Because it bugs me so much, I try to make an effort to demonstrate good elevator etiquette at all times. I wait patiently for people to approach. I smile at them when they step in the elevator. And if I’m in a really good mood, I attempt small talk.

It takes very little effort, but it’s a nice thing to do.

Today is World Kindness Day and it has me thinking about some of the nice things I do for others ... and some of the opportunities I’ve missed.

Three weeks ago I was standing in the check-out line at the grocery store. The man in front of me had just a few items in his basket -- milk, eggs and one or two other staples. He had a foreign accent and by the shabby way he was dressed, I assumed he might be struggling financially. When it was time to pay, he gave the cashier some sort of food stamp card to use and for whatever reason, the card was denied. So the man left the store empty-handed. 

I’ve been thinking about him ever since, feeling bad for not offering up my credit card to pay for his items. Unfortunately, the thought didn’t occur to me until I was driving home from the store ... with a full load of groceries in the back of my car. I missed a chance to make a small difference in someone’s life with a simple act of kindness that would have been so effortless for me.

Next time I have the chance, I hope my instincts kick into high gear faster -- with a smile, with a helping hand, or with a few dollars if I’m able. 

There are a million ways to show kindness and every time we do, it has a ripple effect.

Margaret Mead once wrote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Practice kindness and pass it on!