When was the last time that you went out of your way for someone? Maybe you ran to hold the door open for someone, maybe you bought a strangers coffee as they were searching for change, or maybe you gave them balloons just to bring a smile to their face. Whenever it was, I just want to say thank you. It is people like you that make the world a better place for all.
A little over a week ago, I arrived back home from a two day vacation in Boston. The trip was incredible, but the plane ride home sucked. It was probably one of the worst rides home that I can ever remember. The flight itself was fine, I just wasn’t ready for my vacation to be over. Not only did I have to leave one of my favorite cities, but arriving back home also meant that it was now back to reality.
As my dad and I were walking through the airport, he could sense that I was feeling a little down about being back. So, just like most people try to do when others are down, he tried to cheer me up with one of his usual tactics.
As we were walking silently through the airport, he suddenly broke the silence by saying, “There’s a present for you at home for you.” Well, not going to lie, it worked. While it wasn’t enough to completely change my mood, it definitely brought some life back into me.
The closer we got, the more excited I became. It wasn’t even that I was expecting anything big. It was just the anticipation of not knowing what it was that was bothering, yet exciting me at the same time.
When we pulled into the driveway, I immediately got out of the car, went inside, and looked for the present. Knowing my parents, I thought it was going to be a cake that said “Welcome Home Shithead,” just like the one that they got me after my freshman year of college. But it wasn’t, it was something much better. It was a gift bag from our family friends.
Inside the gift bag was a book, a coffee mug that read Wake Up And Stay Fabulous, and a personalized note. Like I have said before, I am a pretty emotional guy, I really have no shame in admitting it. The note left water in my eyes. Even reading it again tonight started to get my eyes to water.
But it was what was attached to the bag that brought me joy and pure happiness. It was what was attached to the bag that had me feeling like a little kid again with not a single worry in my mind. Attached to the bag were four balloons.
When have you ever looked at a balloon and stayed sad or stressed? For me, never. Every time that I see a balloon it puts a smile on my face and leaves me feeling like that five year old kid that I used to be.
Needless to say, I felt blessed. It wasn’t just the balloons, or the card, or the coffee cup that left me feeling beyond blessed and thankful. It was the random act of kindness. The random act of others going out of their way to make my day better… without even knowing that I was having a bad day to begin with.
So to the incredible people that that helped to life my day up, thank you. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for the amazing and loving words, the coffee cup, the book, and the balloons. And more importantly, thank you for your random act of kindness. I hope you know how much of an impact it had on my day. Without knowing it, you helped to turn a bad day into a day that I will truly remember for the rest of my life. Thank you!
Michael Bonnell
10/4/2018
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