Have you ever been eating in a restaurant and looked over to see a family with loud, out of control kids? How about getting on an airplane and realizing your seat assignment is next to a single parent with young children? I have been in both situations and the first thing that comes to mind is “Why me?”. That was before I heard a story of a complete stranger who performed a random act of kindness towards a single mom with challenging kids of her own. The man who identified himself only as “Jake” paid for the family’s meal and left a gift card to Pizza Hut along with a three-page letter explaining why he did what he did.

I have heard of many different random acts of kindness before but this story is unique in that the person left a note encouraging the mother’s efforts as she raises her children. The gentleman was totally empathetic towards the struggles that the woman was encountering during dinner. He praised her for her patience in correcting and encouraging the appropriate behaviors of her children.

Author’s perspective#1 Not judging others – Many times we come upon a situation and judge what we see without knowing all the circumstances. The old saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” absolutely applies in this situation. Jake understood what the mother was going through because he has three kids of his own. He took the time to study how the situation was being handled by the mom and admired it.

Author’s perspective#2 Encouraging others – Jake could have simply paid the tab and said nothing afterwards. The fact that he paid and left the gift card would have been more than enough.  But Jake left a three-page letter written to encourage the mom who was obviously having struggles with her children.

Author’s perspective#3 Being Thankful – The woman was totally shocked by Jake’s generosity. She simply wanted to let others know that there are still good people in the world  who do kind things for complete strangers. She took a big risk speaking out because she is a victim of domestic violence. She felt compelled to tell her story and let Jake know just how much she appreciated the random act of kindness.

Your turn (1) respond via this blog (2) comment on our Facebook page (character development & leadership) or (3) tweet to  CDandLeadership using #CDandL:

1) Social Media Question: What are your thoughts about this act of kindness from a complete stranger?

2) What random acts of kindness have you performed?

3) Does this change how you will view people going through difficult situations in a public setting? Why or Why not?