A Full-Circle Story

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“Be kind to yourself and share it with the world.” – unknown

The other day I opened my door to an older gentleman who was going door-to-door on behalf of Greenpeace. Let’s call him John. He was warm and friendly and told me he’d grown up in this neighborhood and named the elementary school he attended.

As we were talking about plastic in the ocean, he mentioned that he’d just been talking to a neighbor. She wanted to subscribe for an annual payment. She knew she’d remember to do it because the day he came by was her birthday.

Clearly this neighbor had made an impact on his day. He went on to explain that she and her husband invited him in to sit down as they did the paperwork. It gave him some rest for his aching knees.

I hazarded a guess based on the story he’d told me, “Was it Donna and Bruce?”

“Yes,” he laughingly confirmed even though they are two streets away. There are about 25 houses per block in this neighborhood so he must have knocked on about 50 doors between my house and theirs.

So, I told him the story about how I met Donna and Bruce one evening about four years ago. It was early on in the pandemic and my daughter was doing on-line Kindergarten. I was trying to optimize her desk situation. Someone up the street had put a great kids desk out on the curb to give away. I was trying to carry it home with my 5-year-old daughter, my 6-year-old neighbor, and my 1-year-old son in tow.

And then Donna, who I’d never met before, offered to step in and help. Her delightful spirit is just one of the reasons she’s one of my favorite people to run into in the neighborhood.

[The next time I saw Donna after my conversation with John, the Greenpeace guy, I told her that how John told me the story of how her warmth and kindness had made such a difference to him. It was so fun to see her reaction to one of the many touchpoints of positive impact she must deliver in a day.]

After John, the Greenpeace guy left, my kids and I went out for a walk. We came across him sitting on a garden wall on the next street over resting his aching knees. Because of the stories we’d shared, it felt like he was an old friend. We sat down for a moment and chatted with him before we all moved on, still connected by the thread of narrative.

For a story about an a-ha moment Vicki had as a child about the roots of her dad’s big heart, please listen to our Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast: Episode 67: Love the Ones That are Different with Vicki and Wynne

Vicki Atkinson and I are big believers in the power of story – to connect us, to create intergenerational healing, and to make meaning out of the events of our lives. Each episode of our podcast will start with someone telling a story in each episode.

To listen to the podcast, Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts. Or subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

40 thoughts on “A Full-Circle Story”

  1. Another good example of how being kind and pleasant makes such a positive difference to those around you, as well as to the person showing the kindness. It should be so easy, and yet apparently it isn’t.

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  2. I am glad you mentioned your neighbors and the worthy and necessary cause to which one dedicated time and effort and the couple who put “their money where their mouth is.” Thanks for calling attention to our responsibility to heal the hearts around us and the place where we live: the Earth.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. What a great example of how just being nice to people who come into our lives makes a difference! My daughter told me a story of a woman who came across her collections desk, who was so extremely unpleasant that she talked herself out of being helped, to the point of almost getting banned. *sigh* Just goes to show that even if we’re having a bad day, we don’t need to spread it to others!

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    1. Oh yes, I can think of many of those unpleasant examples too. I suspect people don’t realize the impact they have – either for good or for bad! Happy Friday, Tamara!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. So true. And given the three that showed up when you got stuck in the snow – maybe there are more than the news would have us believe?

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  12. I love this part, “We sat down for a moment and chatted with him before we all moved on, still connected by the thread of narrative,” and that might be the meaning of life. Hugs, C

    Liked by 2 people

  13. This is such a heartwarming story ❤️ Love how a simple act of kindness from Donna rippled out and touched so many people. how much of a difference even the smallest things can make.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Sounds like you are showing your kids by example how to live life as a ‘Donna’. Lovely tale and lesson in kindness, Wynne! 💞💞💞

    Liked by 1 person

  15. I also believe in the positive power of storytelling. Narratives win. This one is wonderful and reminds me of why I, and you, write blogs. Thanks for sharing it here.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. The day-to-day kindness are the things that bright up this world. And I love that you had this full circle moment connecting the dots from four years ago.

    As Miss O wisely wrote on her sign, love does rule! 💕

    Liked by 1 person

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