Kindness

Farmington sixth grader Molly McGuigan as one of the winners of an annual essay contest sponsored by the Farmington Rotary Club in collaboration with West Woods Upper Elementary School. Read her essay, "Kindness" below. 

By Molly McGuigan

Recently my mother turned 47.  My family and I were thinking about surprise parties, presents and birthday dinners.  We had a lot of ideas planned.  That all changed when my mom read an online article.  

“47 random acts of kindness. That’s what I want to do for my birthday,” Mom announced.  I was skeptical at first until she explained, “It makes you feel good, it makes others feel good, and kindness can be passed on which might make the world a better place.”  She decided these acts of kindness would take place on her birthday.

When the day came, I have to say, it started uneventfully.  It was too early for anyone to be out and about, so for the first hour and a half we had 0 acts of kindness done. That all changed when we went to the grocery store to get some supplies for the day.  We brought some treat bags filled with candy, hoping to get at least one act done at the store. Little did we know that this quick trip to Stop and Shop would be one of the best trips of the day.  After collecting some roses and balloons, we hurried to the cash register. Treat bag in hand, we approached the older, tired-looking lady who would be ringing up our purchases.

“That will be $19.47,” she said in an exhausted voice after bagging our items.

“Excuse me, we are doing acts of kindness, and this is for you,” I said while handing her the treat bag. Her face lit up.

“This is wonderful! Thank you! Thank you!”  It looked like she was about to cry. It was the best feeling in the world to know we could make someone so happy.

“Can I hug you?” she asked. It was an indescribable moment and definitely a highlight of the day.

Next we were off to the Laundromat.  After taping quarters to dryers, it was time for a bathroom break.  On my way, I noticed a worker behind the counter flipping through some pages. “This is for you!” I exclaimed as I dropped a lottery ticket and some candies in front of her.  Then I slid past down the hallway leading to the bathroom.  I don’t know if she was confused or just didn’t like it, but I was disappointed by her initial reaction.  She just didn’t seem very appreciative and I wondered why she didn’t react like the others did.  I exchanged glances with my mom and sister and I could tell they felt the same way.  However, as we passed her on our way out of the building, we noticed she was taking pictures of the note attached to the lottery ticket. To my surprise, she was smiling.  As soon as she saw us looking her way she said, “I just want you to know that I was having a really bad day today, and you guys just made my day. Thank you so much!”  All I said back to her was, “Pass it on.”  It turned out that her reaction was priceless, and we were so pleased to have made a difference in her day

Pass it on. That’s what happens when random acts of kindness are received.  One day, I bet someone will be giving an act of kindness across the world because of us!  You never know!  After my grandma heard what my mom was doing, she decided to do some acts of kindness in Michigan.  When my stepdad heard, he went into another town for work and paid for someone’s bus ride. So, you see now, acts of kindness can be passed all over the city, all over the country, all over the world!  It’s contagious. 

While we still enjoy cake, presents, and parties on our birthday, we discovered another great way to celebrate. My mom’s 47 random acts of kindness made everyone happy on her special day.  We can all make the world a better place, one act of kindness at a time. Our day of kindness only proved this statement more true than ever!