Last week, I found myself heading to the post office in the middle of a monsoon. As I was hurrying toward the entrance while contemplating the possible misnomer of our state motto, “The Sunshine State,” I noticed an elderly woman waiting outside. I started to shake the water from my umbrella but decided to ask, “Would you like me to walk you to your car, ma’am?” She responded, “Oh, that’s not necessary but if you don’t mind, could you help me down so I don’t slip?” I allowed her to grab my hand and guided her down the small step safely. Although she said it wasn’t necessary, I walked her to her car. We made idle chit-chat. “How is your day going?” “Not so well,” she responded. Apparently a young drunk driver had knocked over her mailbox so she was forced to come to the post office and wait twenty minutes to get her mail because they still haven’t fixed it. “Well, at least it was only a mailbox the girl hit instead of a person,” I said trying to look at the bright side. “Yes, you’re right,” she said. She thanked me for walking her to her car and I wished her a better day.

I walked back towards the post office with a smile on my face. I shook out my umbrella and heard a man say, “That was awfully kind of you to help that woman.” Surprised, I said, “I wasn’t going to make her walk in the pouring rain.” He agreed and we chatted briefly about kindness and how it always comes back around.

I dropped my packages off then crossed the street to the parking lot. A man stopped his pick-up truck, rolled down the window and said, “Thank you for helping that woman to her car.” I didn’t know what to say. I think I mumbled, “No problem” or something moronic like that.

For some reason, the words of these two strangers touched me. I sat in my car and cried. I don’t know why, let’s just blame it on hormones because I didn’t do anything amazing. Heavy raindrops were tumbling from the sky so I helped an elderly lady to her car. I had a big umbrella. She didn’t. It was the obvious thing to do. Anyone would have done the same thing. Right?

In the days that followed, I began to wonder. Why did those two men feel the need to thank me for doing something that anyone and everyone should have done? I mean, what if that woman had been your grandmother? Surely you would’ve wanted me or someone else to help her, right? So when did being kind to others become so uncommon? When did helping an elderly woman across the street, holding the door open for the person behind you, or simply smiling and saying, “Hello” to the person passing you on the sidewalk become a thing of the past?

With all the horrible things going on in our world today, these are all simple ways to make our corner of the world a little bit brighter. So I challenge each and every one of you to do something kind today. Heck, do something kind every day…you just may turn someone’s bad day into a good one!