Act #1: One is a Good Place to Start

Originally Published: Jul 10, 2014

Meet Remington. An about-to-be senior at Ohio State University. He spends his days trying to make it and earn his way by going door to door selling childrens' educational books for kids in grades K-12. He is away from home, he travels by bike, and he lives to help others.

So, how does this pertain to happiness, or more specifically, how does this relate to me?

By one event.

Remington was biking along one afternoon, when all of a sudden a storm started to brew in the west. It came on so fast and came on so strong. Running from the storm would do him no good now. All he needed was shelter.

The first home he stopped at he was rejected. Last week's hail storm had been enough for him, as he was pelted and hurt by the dropping ice. He was determined and willing to seek some sort of safe place away from this one.

Meanwhile, in a house along the street two girls and their mother were all watching TV as the storm approached. The mom tells the girls to head to the basement because the clouds are dark and the noise was loud. But first, they checked the window and they saw a biker. One daughter quickly proclaimed that she would let him in. No should should be left out in this.

"Hey, you can come in here!", proclaimed the daughter.

"Ah! Thank you so much. I need to get out of this storm," replied the young man.

"I'm Kathleen. What's your name?"

"Remington."

So long story short, Remington stayed with us until it was clear enough to head back out. Not only was this act of kindness important, it was necessary. The storm ended up taking out power and destroying a few trees.

Remington was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, which could happen to anyone. Happiness comes from realizing that good people do exist and they are willing to put themselves in your shoes and help you out. No one is ever truly alone in the world. No one.

Tiny acts of kindness are not things that can be done by plan. They are generally spontaneous and natural. But with an open mind and large heart, these acts can become a part of your daily life. It got me motivated. Not only should I continue these acts, I should share them to motivate others.

I encourage you to have an act of kindness today. This large world is a small place, and one act will double, then quadruple, etc. One day it will come right back to you.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

-Happiness in Handfulls