Today I was in the diner having breakfast with my little guy - it’s our one little sacred ritual that allows us to have some Dad and Sammy time each week.  It is so important because it is very hard to find 1:1 time with him during the rest of the week.  So after I take him to his swimming class, we have pancakes, joke around and have a good time.

Today, he was eating his usual chocolate chip pancakes with a whipped cream smiley face (not the same without it) and when I let him use the butter knife to try to cut the pancakes, the whipped cream gets all over his sleeves.  OK.  Then, the syrup gets all over his hands because it is all over the fork which means it ends up on his forehead, nose and most other places on or near his face.

With the diner packed, the waitress is struggling to keep up and we are left napkin-less for a while. RIght as I was about to get up to go grab some, this woman in the table across from us comes over and gives us a bunch of napkins that were on her table with a nice comment and a smile.

A few minutes later, a woman is seated in the table next to us and didn’t notice that her scarf had fallen so I gently tap her arm and hand her the scarf. 

OK, so not the most exciting breakfast in the world but nevertheless, it was beautiful.  These random acts of kindness amongst strangers do so much to warm up the atmosphere and set the tone for a more gentle day.  We’ll never know the ripple effects of such a small gesture, just like the woman who handed us the napkins could never have realized that her action is now known in many countries around the world through this writing.

Imagine if everyone was committed to doing one small act of kindness per day.  Not a lot to ask for - definitely within reach.  Just one.  What would it add up to?  How much goodwill and ease would be generated around the world?

Global warming would have a whole different meaning…