Some people are put on this planet to bring pure happiness. This week, two people have blessed us with truly random acts of kindness.
Roofing Hood
We’re currently repairing our kitchen roof after noticing some damage. What looked like a simple fix has quickly escalated to some substantial work, requiring quite a lot of manual work, heavy lifting and in awkward positions.
My father-in-law has kindly offered to do most the difficult work, acting as foreman whilst I do all the heavy-lifting and donkey work. I am not blessed with manual labour skills but, given instructions, quite happy to give it a go and learn quickly.
Last week, amongst a serious heatwave across the UK, we ended up removing plenty roof tiles and old woodwork. No mean feat with an active 70something and lazy 40something.
On Thursday, a friend of the family randomly turned up with some tools to help then continued to work on the property with my father-in-law. They made amazing progress throughout the day and when I returned from work, was surprised to see so much was done. It then transpired it was his birthday so he booked a few days off work. What a gent!
Coffee Delight
One of my recent direct reports resigned this year (mostly for personal reasons) but we built up quite a strong relationship over our time, often encouraging each other with new challenges. We’ve kept in touch since leaving as he’s become a good friend and, coincidentally, lives in Northamptonshire so we can actually meet-up occasionally.
This guy is a coffee connoisseur and even home roaster. He buys beans from around the world, toasts them with his own kit and hands batches out to friends. Before he left, he gave me a fantastic selection of roasts from Cuba, India, Ethiopia and even the renowned Jamaican Blue Mountain bean. They have taken pride of place in our condiments cupboard when I occasionally treat myself to a special blend, often messaging him when I do.
Following one of those message exchanges, he mentioned he’d taken delivery of a new batch and would be roasting last weekend if I wanted some. I said I’ve still got a few batches I’m getting through so not to worry.
This morning, I took delivery of a special parcel from him. The delivery even included a box of Turkish delight, all the way from Turkey (his home country) which apparently compliments the Cuban coffee roast perfectly.
I was blown away by his generosity. He had gone above and beyond to not only home-make something and also send the package in the post at quite a noticeable cost.
These random acts of kindness made me realise how lucky we are to be surrounded by such wonderful and caring people. In a time that’s challenging and frustrating, it’s worth finding the opportunity to give back where you can. It doesn’t need to be financially costly either – merely a token gesture of help or time can make somebody else’s day.