The kindness of friends and strangers

I am a sucker for any movie with Hugh Grant, but one of my all time favorites is Love Actually. In addition to some pretty funny (some smart, and some not so smart) scenes, the premise of the movie is that love, is actually, all around us. Here are the five people who have reminded me that like love, kindness surrounds us every day.

1) The friends who called, text or e-mailed me this morning to let me know that they were thinking of me on my first day at a new job and were sending good vibes my way. I had forgotten how hard it is to be the new kid, and they reminded me that even though I am in a new space, I am not alone.

2) The friend who sent me flowers today to welcome to me to my new office and make me feel at home. If you have ever been called to the admin desk and arrived to see a bouquet of fresh smiling gerber daisy’s, delicate queen Anne’s lace, and sweet roses, you know the feeling can not be re-created. It literally brought tears to my eyes (and in fact, forced me to pretend to have to get something out of my car so I would not be busted crying on my first day).

3) The two men that took pity on me attempting to haul my over sized, over stuffed suitcase up and down the ferry steps on Sunday night. I am seldom impressed by the actions of strangers, but these two men were class acts. I felt compelled to hug them, but instead just thanked them profusely until they became embarrassed and ran away.

4) The friend who stayed at my house this weekend. In addition to a chilled bottle of champagne, she left a complete meal waiting in my refrigerator, so I would not have to cook after my first day at work. I don’t know if this is something she has done before, but it was by far one of the most perfect gifts she could have given me and I hope some day I am able to do it for someone else.

5) All of you. The friends, acquaintances and readers who have passed along their good wishes and their condolences through comments on my blog or via e-mail. Thank you for letting me vent over unwanted kids at a party or share my horror at the thought of my brother, as a pall bearer, carrying the weight of his friend and his own grief on his shoulders. You have helped me more than you know.

About these ads