On the 1st of March I left for Kenya for two weeks returning to Ireland for the remainder of the month.
“Looking back across the years I am astounded how trivialities have changed the entire course of my life”
Frank Bettger
Actions and Observations:
The following were my Random Acts of Kindness for the month:
- March 1st – bought a bottle of water from a self-service stand for a random passerby at Dublin airport (by her look she likely wanted the bottle of water but had no small change)
- March 2nd – gave a pocketful of notes and change to a random cleaner at Dubai airport
- March 3rd – purchased a replacement phone for someone in Kenya who could not afford to buy one after his phone fell in water
- March 4th – Gave a small monetary gift to someone who really deserved it and gives of herself to help others
- March 5th – Gave some clothes that I no longer needed to someone who needed them
- March 6th – Walked past a beggar with no legs seated on the street and then stopped and went back. I placed some notes in a plastic jar in front of him. He reached out his arm to thank me and then I noticed he had no hands. I patted him on the shoulder. Beggars are a common sight in Kenya but how many of us really take the time to stop and really look at the person. I know I am guilty of ignoring people like that beggar and walking on. Today I am happy I stopped and shared a brief moment with that man – I recognised his presence and his humanity.
- March 7th – None! I forgot to do the exercise.
- March 8th – Bought some sodas for some women hawkers selling honey by the roadside.
- March 9th – Deliberately praised and encouraged a small scale woman farmer in Kenya for the achievements on her farm.
- March 10th – Gave money to a beggar seated on the street in Nakuru town and shared a moment with him in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the street. Normally I turn a blind eye to such beggars. From my limited medical knowledge he appeared to be suffering from leprosy – his legs and feet were grotesquely swollen, covered in scabs and unusable.
- March 11th – Intentionally purchased a pair of socks for a friend from a street hawker in Nairobi in order to support her (the street hawker’s) business. My action led others who I was with to buy also. We had a lot of good humored banter together – well worth the €1 invested in the socks!