Is Kindness Dead
I Wouldn't Be Too Sure Of That

Has Kindness Disappeared
I certainly thought it had. It seemed everyone was out for themselves, and people wondered why I was so outdated.
This was a photo I took spontaneously, because it was something that was worth capturing.
A Moment In Time That Might Not Pass This Way Again.
Then This Changed Everything
I was sitting in our car outside of a local Walmart, and I saw a man walk by our car in a hurry. He was a white man perhaps in his forties.
Then a black lady drove up, and parked next to us, she was probably in her twenties. Then I heard her yell out to the man, "Excuse me sir, I think you dropped a dollar". And sure enough there was a dollar lying on the payment.
He started toward the dollar bill, and he said, "Do you know what everyone else would have done? "They would have let me pull away, and then stuck that dollar bill in their own pocket."
The lady responded, "Yes, I know, but not today,", and she calmly walked away toward the entrance of the store.
The Man's Response
I was sitting in our car, waiting for my husband who had gone in the store to purchase something for us. As I sat in our car waiting for my husband to return, I notice the man going, "Full Tilt Buggy", towards the lady who was then walking towards the entrance of the store. I noticed he caught up with her at the end of the parking lot, just before she got to the entrance of the store.
You guessed it, he was handing the lady that same "dollar bill", that was lying on the ground.
An Act of Kindness That Broke All The Barriers
This was an important lesson for those who find themselves dissalusioned. I know it was an important lesson for me.
This particular act of kindness transcended the age barrier,the race barrier, the gender barrier, and most of all the "barrier of human kindness, towards one another.
We don't hear much of this kind of thing, no less get to witness it ourselves.
It was something we need to experience more often. It was beautiful and it showed me what was still alive in the human spirit,- kindness and honesty.
It also showed me the beauty of the kindness that I believe lives inside all of us. The ability of the human soul to know right from wrong, and to exercise that feeling toward one another.
The Age Barrier
If you feel there is an age barrier between people who are in their twenties and people approaching middle age, it might have changed your thinking if you had experienced watching this in the parking lot on July 3, 2024.
The Race Barrier
If you have thought there was racism and there probably is in today's world. However, it did not show in the Walmart parking lot in Dover Delaware on the particular day. It was just human beings and one good deed towards another, and the appreciation shown for that good deed.
The Gender Barrier
For those of you that have thought there was a gender barrier, and was not apparent this particular day in this particular parking lot. It was just an act of kindness of one human being towards another human being. Gender played no part.
It Was Beautiful To Witness
Have you ever heard of being in the right place, at the right time? I was on this particular day, and I felt blessed to have witnessed this beautiful act of kindness that transpired between two human beings.
The Human Spirit is Resilliant
Yes, it is and the goodness of that spirit lives inside all of us. It might get misguided at times, it might get off course at times, but it still lives in the very heart of all or most human beings.
This act of kindness transcended the age barrier, the race barrier, the gender barrier and most of all the barrier of "human kindness and decency, towards one another".
It was a good day, this happened on July 3, 2024.
A Good Day Indeed!!!
I took this photo to remind me and others that read this that "We are all more alike than we are different." The photo of the dollar bill lying on the pavement and what transpired that day, will always be etched in my mind.
About the Creator
Gregory Payton
I am retired Air Force. I like to write poetry, and about the economy, and about current events.I have lost a lot in my life and I also write about processing grief.
I hope you find my work interesting.
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