Help me I am dying

     Last summer we planted a zucchini plant in our backyard garden. I love zucchini bread.  I knew  that zucchini plants grow really fast, and they are usually easy to grow. And our plant did do well and was growing quite nicely. One summer day I looked out at the garden in the heat of the day and there was our zucchini plant all wilted and lifeless. It is almost like I could hear it say, "Help me, I am dying." By evening it had bounced back.  I continued to water it and by summer's end it had produced some nice zucchini. But I still remember how sad and desperate it looked in the heat of the day.

     In my time as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service, I also had days when I looked and felt like that little zucchini plant. I know firsthand how nice it is to open a mailbox and discover that someone has left some ice water or a cold drink for me. People who did things like that quickly became some of my favorite customers. The fact that, in their busyness, they had remembered to be kind to me meant a lot. It did not take much effort on their part to grab a pop from the fridge and put it in the mailbox. But when you are tired and hot, it makes a big difference to you.
     So my thought today centers around how we can do things for others that are not that hard for us, but mean a lot to those who receive our kindness. And to be clear, I am talking about more than water and cold drinks. But if you need to stop for a minute and go put a cold drink in the mailbox, I can wait.
     I read a story on Facebook about a teacher who had her elementary students write down what they like most about the other students in the class. That night she compiled a list for each student of the things the other students liked about them. The next day she  gave  a list to each student. That was all that happened. Nobody said anything to her about the lists, and time went on.
Years later, at the funeral of one of her students who had died in military service, she learned how impactful that list had been to this young man. Then she heard from other students at the funeral how much it meant to them. One former student carried it in his wallet. One kept it in a special place at home. And so it went.
     I don't know about you but I sometimes get overwhelmed about all the needs I see around me everyday. Then, this thought comes to me.  I can easily do a simple act of kindness or speak an encouraging word to someone that might make a huge difference to them! This gives me hope! Granted, I may never know how much that may have meant to someone, but it won't  change the fact that I was able to make a difference.

I have a block of wood in my office that I love to look at. It is not that I have arrived, but it is what I want to strive to be like. It says, "In a world where you can be anything, be kind." Just a thought.
     Next week I share an embarrassing story abut my school bus driving.  Don't miss "The Cone of Shame."