The Kindness of Strangers

To me, birthday anniversaries are the one day a year that we make a point to say, “Wow! I’m glad you were born. You, individually, are valuable to me and the people who know you.” It’s a time to celebrate the prior accomplishments of a person and reflect on where they have been. It’s a day to revel in the possibilities that will present themselves in the coming year, and anticipate new loves and experiences.

Because of my absolute reverence for birthdays, when a friend of mine was nearing his next birthday, I considered very diligently what I might do in order to help him celebrate. I decided that, since birthdays are a time to celebrate the heritage and history of a man, he might like a book of pictures from the town in Italy that shares his surname. I would help him celebrate his own birthday by celebrating the birthplace of his ancestors.

My problem: I had never been to Italy. Where would I find the photos to create this picture book?

My solution: a websearch that took me to the site of an amateur photographer named Michael Dogan. I could not tell which of his photos were of the little town I needed, but I loved his pictures. He captured people, expressions, and feelings. His landscapes were so well done, I could very nearly feel the sun from the photos warming my skin. (He’s really great. Check out www.michaeldogan.com). I emailed Michael and asked if I could purchase his photos. He declined on the humble basis that he was “an amateur”, but agreed kindly to let me use his photos for my little birthday project.

Take a minute to absorb that generosity. I was a willing buyer. Yet, he agreed to share his work, his art, his heart (as any artist will attest) with me for nothing. That would have been enough to renew my faith in the kindness of strangers. Imagine my complete elation and disbelief when he sent another  email with the following information: he had very few pictures of this small town, and was unsure exactly which pictures they were. Therefore, he and his wife would plan a trip from Rome, where he lives, to this town. They would go that very weekend, so that I would have time to get my project together. And he would take pictures with my project in mind and make them available to me.

Now, he was going more than a step further to be kind to a complete stranger, half a world away. He and his wife were giving their time, their talent, and their vacation fund to remove my stumbling block. Wow. If you ever doubt that people are basically good, think of this story. If you ever wonder if the human spirit is capable of generosity in this day and age, remember Michael and his wife. If you ever feel alone and defeated before you even begin, imagine that there is someone, somewhere, who will help you when you least expect it and set about finding that someone.

I wonder, often, if I make that kind of impact. Do I, can I, help someone completely renew their faith in people and the richness of life and the human experience? One thing is certain: I can be better about going one step further.


Living in Joy Challenge: Do something unexpected for someone else. Buy the coffee for the person in line behind you. Offer someone your umbrella. Anonymously pay someone’s electric bill. Restore someone’s faith in strangers. Who knows… Maybe someone in another country is blogging about your kindness, today. J