Friday 13 May 2016

The Bucket List

Last night, I attended a good friend’s wedding. And what a celebration it was!  Everything was absolutely perfect, the décor, the drinks, the food the atmosphere. Unreal. But as I sat at my place admiring the environment around me, I couldn’t help but notice the waiter.
Not that there was something wrong with him , but I couldn’t help notice what a real effort he was making to make sure his table of guests were absolutely satisfied. The care of putting down the drink in front of the guest as to not disturb them from their current conversation to the fact that he would pick up the fallen cutlery and replace it with a fresh new one.
 I was absolutely blown away by the meticulous service that he was providing. And so I made a point of finding him after the wedding and tipped him quite generously and said that his excellent service was so noticeable. He graciously accepted my acknowledgement and said back, “Sir, thank you so much for this. I am a trainee and I am really trying to impress my supervisor standing over” as he pointed to a lady working at the front desk of the function hall.  I went over to her straight after our conversation and told her what I had witnessed throughout the night.
As I was driving home, it had hit what I had just done. I had just performed a Random Act of Kindness.
So what is a random act of kindness, “a random act of kindness is a selfless act performed by a person or people wishing either to assist or to cheer up an individual person or people”.
Wouldn’t the world be a much nicer place if everyone performed one random act of kindness a day.  We don’t have to spend money, or do anything extravagant, in fact simple acts are likely the best.  Pass along a compliment to a stranger, thank a volunteer for their efforts, perform a chore for a loved one that usually does that job, volunteer, send a kind email to an old friend, forgive someone, send someone a hand written note of thanks, make a card at home and send it to a friend for no reason, let someone jump the queue at the bank.
If you are inclined to spend a few Rands, you can buy a lottery ticket for a stranger, leave some coins in the parking ticket validator machine, buy a coffee for the man on the street selling The Homeless talk magazine or the person behind you in the drive thru at Mcdonalds, send someone a small gift anonymously, pay for the drinks on the next table at a café, treat a friend to the movies for no reason.
Whatever you choose to do, it helps to spread love and kindness through the community.  By performing a random act of kindness, you also help yourself feel better.  As my wife often asks her colleagues at the hospital she works for “ are you a bucket filler or a bucket dipper?”  By filling someone else’s bucket, you help to fill your own.
Keep in mind, a gift given with the expectation of something in return is not a gift.
Why don’t we all adopt the position held by, perform a random act of kindness daily, just imagine the impact on the world, it would be a much better place to live in!  Go ahead, fill someones bucket, you will feel so amazing!!

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