On my way to the dumpster two young boys riding by on bikes stopped and asked if I'd like some help with the bag I was lugging to the dumpster. This happened not at the same time but twice. One boy rounding the corner saw me, stopped and asked if I could use some help. Once he was out of sight another young fellow came around the corner, stopped and asked me if I'd like some help. I thanked them both but said no because I'm pretty sure their parents/other adults in their life have instructed them not to talk to strangers. Let alone grab barehanded something a stranger has touched during the middle of a pandemic. I didn't say that, I didn't want to scare them, but as a mother myself those would be my thoughts. Anyhow the second boy was more persistent. Again I thanked him, said no. I told him it was nice of him to offer but I was fat and needed the exercise. He said - No you're not, you look good just the way you are, then shot me a smile and cycled away. I was floored I mean these were young children not teenagers you'd hope and expect would be that mannerly by then, or men coming on. On my way home I saw them together, they were looking at a friend, encouraging him to not be riding his bike across the road. They told him - Come over here you don't need to be where we're not supposed to go. Follow us, we'll all have fun over here. I about fell out!
It's so nice seeing polite kids out having fun, encouraging each other to follow the rules and not being up to no good. And this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Earlier a a young man here asked if I needed help with the trash I was lugging. Around the holidays two girls went door to door handing out homemade cookies. If children here are out playing on the sidewalks and see an adult coming they move to the grass to give them room to pass before going back to play. They take their pets out for a walk, on leashes and pick up after them. It's just so nice to be around mannerly children for a change. However it worried me a little because what if some criminal took advantage of that innocence. So I got online and did a search to see how many convicted child molesters and/or rapists are living in the area. To my surprise not a one. Now I know that doesn't mean that they're aren't any because for every one you see there are dozens, if not hundreds more you don't. Still it's nice to know at least the place isn't teeming with convicted ones like were I used to live. I woke up in a kind of crabby mood because I didn't get up until 9. I don't mind oversleeping if I don't have any real reason to be up, or was up late the night before but when I plan to be productive and over sleep yeah that make me a little grouchy, but this put a smile on my face and gave my spirits such a lift. I came back home in a really cheerful mood. Which got me thinking about how you never what positive impact some little act of kindness thing, that might not seem such a deal to you do, can have on a person's life, help change the course of their day.
