Be Someone's Lifeboat

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.  

~Leo Buscaglia

This quote is so simple and so true, it should be common sense and yet quite often its not.
I practice something called random acts of kindness or what some call paying it forward and this is something that I try to teach my children as well.
Whether its paying for the coffee of the person behind me in the drive thru, letting a mom in the restaurant know how well behaved her children are, telling the older woman in the elevator how nice her perfume smells or asking the recent widow next door if she needs anything at the grocery store, these are all things that have the power to make someones day a tiny bit better. 
Random acts of kindness were something that were a huge part of our hospital stays, quilts were made to combat the bone chills that chemo brings and there was always treats in the Ronald McDonald room made from people who know what its like to be hungry but not willing to venture all the way to the cafeteria when your child is so sick.
Even something as simple as sharing the top secret hospital wifi code was much appreciated, the concept is amazing to me.... how could providing a 6 digit code create an instant connection with someone that only seconds before didnt know that another existed.
For years now I have been a part of a forum called Wondermoms. Just a group of moms who chat on line about issues both big and small, its like a virtual coffee date with women who were once strangers.
Many on line forums have issues like jealously, negativity and cliquish behavior but ours seems to be the exception.
We all come from different places both geographically and with our lifestyles, some have many children while others have one, some are married, divorced or single... employed, self employed or staying home to care for their families. No matter our differences we were bonded because of this group. This became clear to me when a fellow wondermom surprised me at the hospital with an ipad and itunes cards right after Nicks diagnosis which many of them had pooled together to purchase.
Although I had only met her once or twice before it didnt stop me from bursting into tears and hugging her as if she was my lifeboat and it didnt stop her from hugging me back.
The material items gave Nick something to do but the gesture gave me something positive to cling to - good things were still happening in the world no matter the gray cloud above us.
From now on take the time to think about how something as simple as holding the door open or saying a kind and genuine word can make someones day a bit better. 
There is always the very good chance that YOU could be someones lifeboat when their waters are a bit rough.


http://www.wonderfamilies.com/forum