More Ripples Please
A few years ago my wonderful 95-year-old mother-in-law almost lost her home to the wine country fires while her son and I were out of the country. Though the fires raged on all sides and approached within one block, she and her home were spared. She was forced to evacuate quickly and then spent 10 days couch-surfing at her grandchildren’s homes. Nonna survived a lean childhood under Mussolini, so she is a strong woman. But we all secretly worried that losing her home might be just too much for her to deal with.
It’s hard to describe what happened after the fires were out. Yes, there was a great deal of public sympathy and support. But the private and largely anonymous acts of kindness surprised me and gave me hope that there are still lots of good people out there. Some examples:
The owner of a neighborhood diner had no employees to help him, but he opened his doors anyway. He told everyone, “I’ve just got eggs and potatoes. Don’t worry if you can’t pay, just put what you can in the box on the counter.” Then he fed people until he ran out of food.
Knowing that Nonna had lost her vegetable garden to the prolonged heat and heavy ash, friends from outside the area harvested their own gardens and left a basket of produce on her front porch.
When a musical family lost their instruments in the fires, someone anonymously gifted them with 2 violins and a viola.
So many people dropped off books, toys and clothes at the evacuation centers that they ran out of space and had to recruit more volunteers to distribute everything.
A man sadly discovered that a large dog had taken shelter from the fire and died under his back porch. He was told to move the body to the curb for pick up. As he was carrying the dog into his front yard a nearby utility worker paused in his work, took off his hardhat and bowed his head.
In a world seemingly obsessed with finding all the things that divide us, there are still times when we spontaneously show each other kindness and respect. Must we have a natural disaster to bring this behavior out of hiding? Acts of generosity may not sell many newspapers but perhaps they should be highlighted anyway. Because each of these acts has a ripple effect. Someone who feels less discouraged thanks to a full stomach or less bereft with a musical outlet restored, is more likely to pass on another kindness. Let’s have more ripples.