Random Acts of Kindess

"A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money." John Ruskin


Too often are we so busy in our own little bubble, that we forget other people occupy this world as well. Often, all it takes is a simple smile, or a 'hello' to make someone's day, and being with Little P reminds me of this daily.


In her innocence, she sees everyone as a friend. She says 'hi' to anyone who walks by her, some people she will go right up to and say it, others she will say it and wave at, and still others she will go up to and say 'hug?'. And every time, she catches people off guard.


And this was very evident during our flights home. Being at the age she is, and being as active as she is, Little P does not like to sit still for very long, which makes flying with her a little, well, let's just say it's 'challenging'. After our flights to Grandma and Grandpa's, I decided that for the flights home I was going to be like a Boy Scout and 'always be prepared'. I had coloring books and crayons, some of her favorite reading books, her blankie, two of her favorite stuffed animals, snacks, drinks and a load of patience.


Our first flight, although only an hour and a half long was probably the harder of the two. It was a smaller plane, so not a lot of space, and the walk to the end of the plane was very short. Fortunately, she was content (somewhat) to sit in Mommy's lap and read and color. Unfortunately, this only lasted for the first hour. After that we were up walking the short length of the plane. And being an early morning flight, a good portion of the people were asleep. But Little P, being Little P, had managed to get the two flight attendants wrapped around her little finger and they pretty much entertained her for the last 20 minutes or so of the flight (praise the gods).


However, due to a gate change and a very tight connection, my hopes of letting her run off some energy in Chicago where dashed when I realized we had 15 minutes to get from our current gate to the new one, get her changed and get boarded. There was no time to waste. And anyone who has traveled with a little one, knows they don't like being cooped up for long periods of time - so I was absolutely dreading the four hour flight to Las Vegas.


I really needn't have worried. She slept for the first hour and a half, and for the rest of the time, she basically 'owned' the plane. Up and down the aisle we walked, with Little P saying 'hi' to pretty much every row, waving at most, high five-ing others and stopping to 'chat' with others still. Let's just say, that as we waited on the gang way for her stroller, almost every person who walked past us had a smile and said 'bye'. I even had one gentleman (whom I had earlier over heard as we passed him to board, say 'great, there goes my chances of getting some sleep'), smile at Little P as he left and said 'what a great flyer she is. She must do this a lot. You ladies have a great day now'. Hey, what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right.


So lesson learned. A smile, a wave and even a high-five can go a long way in making someone's day. 


Who have you smiled at today?


K

Mommy-ism #74: patience. Comes with the territory, but it's not always easy to have, especially when your little one (or ones) are determined to push all your buttons and push you to the end of the proverbial line. Sometimes it takes giving yourself a 'time out', sometimes it's a matter of handing them over to your significant other (or a family member or friend, and in extreme cases, when no one else is available, booking a babysitter), and sometimes all you can really do is take a deep breath (or 8) and think, "I can get through this".