INSPIRING TRUE STORIES
How Strangers Are Making the World A Better Place — And YOU Can Be A Part Of It
A tale of a tail and it’s impact on a young boy and his family
I live in a small town—the kind of town where a free community newspaper is still delivered door-to-door.
A town that hosts a community fair with activities including Chicken Bingo, where for .25 cents you buy a square and guess where the chicken will hop and plop. If the chicken plops on your square you win half the money and the other half goes to charity.
Yes, Chicken Bingo is “a thing” when you live in a small town.
The fair is a community gathering with submissions of produce, pies, drawings, art, and so much more. Entries are judged by a panel and awarded prize money for the top three places in each category.
$3 for first, $2 for second and $1 for third. Some select categories have bonus $10 prizes.
In this small town, as I arrived with my children to drop off their submissions, the hall was buzzing with volunteers of all ages.
“Everyone is so kind,” my twelve-year-old said as he responded to the friendly hellos and offers of assistance in carrying entries in from persons at every corner of the room.
As my ten-year-old carried his sixty centimetres (two-foot) paper mache shark into the space, he was met with gasps of surprise and encouragement.
He immediately stood a little taller and marched down to the exhibit place. As he did, the tail broke.
Three people jumped into action and grabbed tape and supplies before another shared, “Let Vanessa know. She has her hot glue gun and will get that tail back on for you before the fair opens tomorrow.”
“We’ll take care of it,” they shared without hesitation.
And, by “it” they not only meant the broken tail of the shark; they meant the joy of a ten-year-old boy who spent weeks constructing his masterpiece. They also meant his mom and brother who did want a child to be devastated by a broken tail.
We’ll take care of YOU.
While that’s not what they said, that’s exactly what they meant.
This spirit of community vibrancy is what happens when we come together and ask a simple question when entering a space or seeing a problem unfold, How can I help?
These four little words can have a big impact.
As do another two:
Thank you.
Simple sentences exchanged between strangers with heart and an ever so small act of gratitude that transcend the values of individuals into the common values of an entire community.
Acts of kindness don’t need to be grand gestures or massive monetary commitments; they can be a few words and a simple smile.
Respond to a need and let your actions communicate:
I’m here to help.
From me in my small town where I await a chicken to hop and plop on a square to you, whenever you are in a metropolis in Southern California or the Eastern United States, India or sitting on a porch in rural Columbia, thank you for taking a moment of your day to spend reading my words. I appreciate you.
Read more from Medium writers and their stories about the positive impacts of strangers:
Nancy Blackman talks about strangers encouraging her during a marathon:
Meet Michael Trottier through Francis Lee, who with Heather Paz, is starting a gift bags for homeless project:
Read Heather Paz’s powerful story about a chance encounter and a profound impact:
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