“How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.” ~ William Shakespeare

I was backing out of my office the other day and my view was blocked by the landscaping crew’s truck and trailer. I backed slowly and as soon as my tailgate had cleared their trailer our local Fedex delivery truck passed by, nearly clipping my bumper. It happened in an instant and was surreal as it seemed the delivery truck appeared out of nowhere.

The delivery truck continued ahead until we cleared the gate of the property and then pulled over in front of me before we reached the end of the drive. The Fedex lady jumped out and walked up to my truck and said “I am SO sorry! I imagine you weren’t able to see past the trailer. I hope I didn’t startle you.” With those few words she performed a good deed that relatively few would, especially given the fact that she likely had a busy delivery schedule ahead of her.

It was a small, but not insignificant thing. In fact, I thought about it all day and here I am sharing this story with you. Common courtesy is an increasingly rare quality these days in our country, despite its remarkable ability to grease the wheels of progress and human interaction. It is so easy to let “please” and “thank you” go by the wayside when life gets busy and yet it is the accumulation of the small acts of kindness and quietly performed good deeds that make the world tolerable, if not downright enjoyable.

I’ve seen similar motor vehicle incidents unfold in a very different direction. Rather than ending with an uplifting and respectful word or two they rapidly devolve into a shouting match, flaring tempers and rising blood pressure. It is never the nature of the incident that causes such outbursts, it is how the incident is handled that determines the tone and tenor of its outworking.

I was so encouraged by our kind driver’s apology and I’ve noticed since then that many such opportunities arise throughout the day. You might find yourself at either end of the stick and at times you might receive the short end of the stick over and over again, but regardless of your role you should always be mindful of the opportunity to go out of your way to let your good deeds shine in an otherwise naughty world.

Have a great day!