The Power of a Smile Between Strangers and Six Other Free Acts of Kindness

I have always believed kindness is contagious and that no matter your race, age, nationality, or even income level, we all know the meaning of a smile or the gesture of a wave.  It confirmed again my belief this past week while out on a jog with my dog, Monkey.

I live in Los Angeles so often there are celebrity tour buses driving tourists around town.  Some buses are large and covered, while many are convertible style vans.  The latter style allows tourists to see the celebrity homes or landmarks they are looking at while on tour.

In this case, I was running in a hilly neighborhood and a tour van passed by me slowly going in the same direction.  I looked up and immediately caught the eye of a young twenty-something tourist in the van who was wearing headphones and taking in all the sites.  He saw me too.  We both smiled simultaneously as if to say hi.  With my smile, I was saying “Welcome to LA.”  I imagined him thinking, “This is such a cool city and a local person just said hi to me.”  I then waved a small gesture, and he returned it with a peace sign.

It may seem silly to you, but for me, moments like theses are super special.  I will never see that guy again.  Nor will he ever know me.  I could have ignored those tourists.  I could have never looked up, but this innocent moment reminded me once again in the faith of humans and kindness.  We both took the time to connect with a stranger.  I don’t know his story.  He doesn’t know mine, but what I know is that he made my day, and gave me a happy burst of energy which helped me up the steep hill.  Thank you stranger….

Here are a six other cool acts of kindness that are FREE and FUN….