Good to great doesn't take much
Before you read another word of this editorial, look at the letter on the opposite page that starts with KINDNESS.
When you've digested that short story of what was much more than a free meal, consider this:
In Hayden on Easter Sunday morning, The Press was informed, a young man with an infant and a $150 grocery bill was told kindly by the grocery store manager that the young man's check could not be accepted. The next person in line, a woman, stepped forward and paid for the groceries. She declined to be identified but asked that others pay it forward.
On Tuesday evening at North Idaho College, Venerable Thubten Chodron, a Buddhist nun, teacher and author, spoke to an overflow audience on "Inner Peace, World Peace." In her talk, Ven. Chodron, who co-authored a book with the Dalai Lama called "Buddhism: One teacher, many traditions," spoke passionately about paying it forward. She mentioned the phenomenon of someone in a long line of cars at a drive-through restaurant window paying the bill for those in the vehicle behind, which created a chain reaction in which customer after customer paid forward the kindness of complete strangers.
Ven. Chodron also related a story told to her by a person whose life was in such disarray, thoughts of suicide began filling the void. Then one day a stranger walked past, looked this person in the eye and smiled warmly. That point was pivotal, the person said, in seeing life in a completely better, healthier way. And unlike a bag of burgers, a meal for a grandparent and grandson or a grocery cart full of food, the smile cost nothing.
We live in one of the most wonderful locations anywhere, featuring some of the very best people. True, we might have to use our lawn mower on Saturday and snow blower on Monday, but at least we're rarely bored.
With all this going for us, paying it forward in any way we can, to whomever we encounter, should come more naturally than it would in other communities. Let's practice kindness together and see just how far we can go.