The weather in southeastern Wisconsin has been lovely: in the 50s and 60s with loads of bright sunshine. After a long winter, this welcome change in temperature brightens spirits and brings everyone outside.
Restaurants and shopping centers are full, co-workers grab drinks after work, families flock to the parks, and large quantities of runners and walkers can be seen on sidewalks and trails, finally having an opportunity to abandon treadmills and elliptical machines.
Last week Wednesday I spent a rare night out with co-workers (I freelance and work from home 99.9% of the time). I made a mental note to bring coins for the parking meter that morning to avoid a parking ticket...a lesson I've learned the hard way on more than one occassion. And that's when I came up with this Kindness Countdown activity.
I grabbed my jar of quarters and decided I'd save others from the misfortune I've "suffered" in the past.
That night, after saying goodbye to my friends/co-workers, I set off on my task. I visited the large outdoor shopping center, where the parking meters there remained in full effect, on my way home.
There was an abundance of expired meters due to the growing dinner crowd and after work errand-runners. I went down two stretches of the mall armed with $10 in quarters and added 20-35 minutes to all of the meters flashing red.
"What are you doing?" a woman out walking her dog asked me. "I'm just adding a few minutes to some expired meters," I explained. "Where were you last week when I got a ticket?" she said, laughing
Sometimes lines are longer than you're expecting or the dessert menu looks too good to pass up. It's easy to lose track of time. And there few things worse than finding a parking ticket on your car after enjoying a delicious piece of molten lava chocolate cake or cracking into some crème brûlée!
"Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out." - Frank A. Clark
No comments:
Post a Comment