“After just getting off work and already late for class, you juggle a laptop case, backpack full of books and a purse. Burdened under this immense weight, you can see the door to your destination getting closer. How you are going to manage opening the door or even hit the handicap-door-open button is a mystery, but wait! A tall, dark and handsome man, your knight in shining armor, has noticed you struggling toward the door, and with a polite smile, holds the door open so you can pass.”
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After just getting off work and already late for class, you juggle a laptop case, backpack full of books and a purse. Burdened under this immense weight, you can see the door to your destination getting closer.

How you are going to manage opening the door or even hit the handicap-door-open button is a mystery, but wait! A tall, dark and handsome man, your knight in shining armor, has noticed you struggling toward the door, and with a polite smile, holds the door open so you can pass. What a relief.

While not a completely uncommon occurrence, random acts of kindness are becoming less frequent, so don’t take them for granted. Sadly, it seems as if we are slowly arriving at the death of generosity.

Random acts of kindness have become increasingly difficult to spot, and when we’re the recipient of one, we rarely recognize it. Why? Everyone is too wrapped up in their busy schedules and worrying about themselves be concerned about others.

In reality, the few seconds you spend waiting to hold the door for someone who is also in a hurry probably don’t matter. Ever get reprimanded for being four seconds late? Probably not. And it might just be appreciated and put a smile on someone’s face, if only briefly.

Random acts of kindness aren’t entirely encompassed by holding the door for someone. Everyone knows the frustrating feeling of trying to pull out of a parking lot onto a street with bumper-to-bumper traffic. Next time you’re in the traffic and someone is trying to pull out, refrain from saying, Sucks for you buddy, I’m in a rush, stop, and let them out. Chances are, letting that person out isn’t going to make you late.

What about carrying something for someone else? When was the last time you did that? Random strangers may get a bit creeped out if you offer to carry their bags, but not the people you talk to on a regular basis. Take a few minutes and offer to carry their bag, backpack or books.

Maybe you overhear some fellow classmates talking about a particularly difficult homework problem. Even if you’re not generally a talkative person, speak up and give them advice on how to do it.

Arrive at a line at a gas station pump, grocery store, or restaurant at the same time as someone else? Let them go in front of you.

Hear of a canned food drive on campus? Take that dusty can of corn sitting in the back of the cupboard and drop it off.

There are so many things we could be doing to help out our fellow humans, but we don’t.

Here’s the solution: take a moment to realize that we’re all busy. And sometimes, all we need is to know that someone else cares.

Realize that you’re probably not too busy to help others, you just feel that way.

The final step is to just do it. All of this sounds good in theory, and many people would likely agree with it. But that doesn’t mean it’s effective if everyone just expects something to be done for them before they reciprocate the favor. It’s easy, you have enough time to do it, so what’s stopping you?

Next time you are in a position to do something nice for someone that takes minimal effort on your part, just do it.

You’ll bring a bit of happiness into someone’s day, and maybe they’ll recognize you next time you’re in a rush to get to class and hold the door for you.

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