Silos and Seeds
A month or so ago, I received a gift of gifts, from a dear friend. In the envelope was the opportunity to share kindness, through the shared seeds of kindness project she and a colleague developed.
The concept is simple, yet profound.
The envelope contained three cards, designed to thank people for their service, with a simple note in which you add some money and can personalize it for the individual you give it to.
Here is my story of planting a kindness seed…
Miguel is an unassuming man, with a ready smile. He is always eager to help. My contact with him is sporadic, as he works as a “hired hand” for a farmer who lives several miles away. He comes to our farm on occasion, as his boss rents our silos for grain storage some years.
This year, as in many others, Miguel came to prepare the silos for storing the incoming harvest. The job is messy and smelly, and involves cleaning out a small amount last year’s crop left over the summer.
I tell you this, because I want you to realize, Miguel was not probably doing his favorite part of his job. Yet, when he showed up at our farm to do it, he came with a big smile, and a friendly, “Hola!”
We checked in with Miguel while he was working and offered to help. He let us help a little, but most of the day he dedicated himself to getting the job done by his own efforts.
While he was working in the silo, I realized he was the perfect person to gift my first shared seeds note to. I wrote a quick note thanking him for his hard work, put some money in, and left the Above&Beyond card on the dashboard of his beat-up Honda Civic.
An hour later while I was working out in the field, Miguel drove by on the highway and honked his horn. I knew it was a “thank you” honk!
The following week, our paths crossed again, and Miguel singled me out to say, “Thank you for your card, money, and kind words. It made me feel so special.”
I smiled, his gratitude made me feel the same.
This story was written and submitted to the Gift of Shared Kindness publication by Julie Lopez.
