Andy Smallman Seattle, WA, USA Amazing Four Teens, Four Elders, One Heart “The barista waved to us and we walked out, united in what felt to us was an act of superhero proportions.” For over 20 years I’ve facilitated kindness classes and throughout this time, it seems, participants in the classes have most enjoyed and felt good about those kindness actions they completed anonymously. One of my favorite kindness stories comes from when I was facilitating an in-person intergenerational kindness class in a Seattle retirement community. The class consisted of elderly residents and teenagers. We met weekly to chat about kindness and, more importantly, to complete a group action. One day, one of the teens suggested we go to a nearby coffee house and anonymously pay for the coffee of a random stranger, someone who arrives at the counter, orders, only to find her/his drink has been paid for, a kindness act familiar to most people interested in the subject. I was a little nervous about this as I had not taken any of the elders outside of the retirement community before. But the enthusiasm was palpable and, I dare say, contagious. I checked with the Activities Coordinator, a woman I greatly admired, knowing full well she wouldn’t try to stop me. So off we went, walking about 5 blocks to a nearby Starbucks. There were probably 9 of us who went, 4 teens, 4 elders, and me. We were pooling our pocket change as we walked, planning who would say what, and trying to figure out how we all could inconspicuously sit in the coffee house in order to see our unknown recipient receive our intended kindness. Can you picture it, 4 teens, 4 elders, and me trying to be inconspicuous in a small Starbucks? It was probably 2:30 in the afternoon – an odd time to be out. In we went and up to the counter our chosen representatives went, a teen and an elder, with a couple of dollars in loose change. They tried explaining the idea to the barista, who at first didn’t understand. But after a second or third explanation, she got it and broke into a huge smile. I still remember the line she was supposed to tell the recipient of our kindness upon presentation of the drink, “You have been the victim of a random act of kindness.” Meanwhile, the rest of us had tried fitting around a small table as far away from the counter as possible but still within eyesight of it. The two rejoined us and we didn’t have long to wait. In walked a person and up to the counter she went. Around our table we tried hard not to stare, each of us individually excited, the collective excitement seeming to scream out our presence. It went down just as you’d expect it to, the person ordered her drink, was told it had been paid for and that she was a kindness “victim.” At first she didn’t seem to understand, then took a second to see if it was some kind of joke. Assured it was legit, she accepted her drink and with a warm smile she walked out of the store. All of this took less than two minutes. Upon her exit, we exploded with happiness. The barista waved to us and we walked out, united in what felt to us was an act of superhero proportions. The elders seemed younger and the teens wiser. It wasn’t 4 teens, 4 elders and me any more. It was 9 people. << Back to Everyday Kindness
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