Bump(her) Stick(her)s

We were running late, behind schedule this morning. I drove my son to his college classes this morning, I let the elementary school children cross, the crossing guard was not at her post, and then another grandmother with three children approached, I let them cross too.

That was nice, my son observed a tad impatiently. 

The children are just starting to learn. 

Bumpers were put on cars to absorb impact, a little ding, a dimple, a dent-and it could be so much worse. Low and behind, as the sayings go-here. Autos Advertising Beliefs-AdBe, vote for-, save-, free-, I love-, my other bumper is on a-, honk (if there is a near impact). I thought horns were for the symphony. All these (un)common courtesies strike a chord, middle c is barely passing. 

When bumper stickers ask us to coexist does it change the way the driver merges?

To get a discount on car insurance, I needed a letter from my son's college to prove he is a full-time student. As I entered the administrative building, a women came out the doors cradling papers, a jacket and I am not sure what else. Her eyes squinted attempting to adjust to the noon sun when a white slip of paper escaped her clutch, spinning in the air and skipping on the ground, “Maam,” I said “you dropped something,”picking it up for seeing that she had no free hands, I handed it to her. She smiled, exasperated and slightly surprised, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” 

I know how identities are easily stolen from loose-leaf sheets. For the record, we are what we do.

Without any pre-planning or blueprints, today I was kind

of nice

holding the door open at the cafe when I left for a self-conscious Hispanic construction worker in steel-toed boots and cement splotches all over his flannel shirt,

surprised to find me waiting for him and holding the door open. He picked up his boots as if he were barefoot and flashed me a newly built and shiny yellow smile, “Gracias Senorita!” 

I was grateful not to hear Senora. 

Small acts of random kindness are supposed to be good for you,

which implies a personal benefit as the primary motivation 

hence making the kindness a bartering chip in the gambol for karma

and thereby reducing randomness into a simplified calculation of roots and (co)sines, plus or minus consideration for others in-kind(ness). 

Painting by Jacob van Oost (III), c. 1673 in [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.