We often find ourselves so tied up with what’s going on in our own lives that we sometimes forget the impact a little kindness can have on other people. I want to share a story with you that shows what can happen when we remember, and choose to act on that knowledge.

The other day, my wife and two of our friends took a trip to the beach to do some sunset photography. It was gorgeous outside, and we captured some great shots (I’ll add those once I’m done my edits). We left in great spirits, hungry and wanting to find a decent place to sit down and have a bite to eat.

And that’s when we found it.

Amid the arid food wasteland that is Tim Hortons, the Pizza Pizza and the Burger King, we discover an oasis of quality eats in the form of a Pierogi place, Pierogi Crave. We’re pumped. We look it up online to check reviews – perfect five-star rating. We’re really pumped. So pumped that we’ve picked up our pace to get to this place as fast as we can. We arrive, and see movement inside. We open the door to head inside, but then the owner says the words that break our hearts: “Sorry, we’re actually closed!”

What.

It can’t be. Check the hours, it says… ah crap, it says they’re closed. NOOOOOO!!

Yes.

But then, something magical happens. As we’re walking away, feeling dejected, the owner opens the door and invites us back in.

“Look, we’ve still got some cooked pierogi left. We can pan-fry them, but the boiler is off already. Would that work?”

Would that work?!? Yeah, yeah I’d say that would work!! We take our seats in the place, unable to believe our good fortune. We’ve ordered three types of pierogi: pork and onion, potato and cheddar, and potato and onion, and we can’t wait to dig in.

We were so hungry that what was probably a 5-minute wait felt like an eternity instead. At last though, she brought the pierogi our way (with extra sauce, I might add). We thanked her profusely for her kindness, at which point she said “It’s no problem. I couldn’t let you walk away hungry when there was something I could do about it. We had the food, our machines were still on, so it’s no trouble.”

Ah, but that’s the thing: they could have let us walk away hungry. They were closed, after all. But they had a choice: stick rigidly to the rules and send us on our way, or bend the rules and make our day. They chose the latter, and as a result made us so happy that I’m sharing my story with you.

Wrapping it Up

Whether we recognize it every time or not, we all face choices like that from time to time. Play by life’s “rules” and do what’s expected, or bend things and make someone’s day. It’s not always easy to do – again, we all have our own stuff going on.

But you know what? I’ll remember how good those owners made us feel that day. Being on the receiving end of a small act of kindness like that makes me want to be on the other end of the equation too. I hope you’ll keep an eye out for your chance to make the same choice when the opportunity knocks. I think this kind of thing is part of the recipe for happiness I’ve been chasing.

Oh yeah, and the pierogi were freakin’ delicious, by the way. Absolutely top-notch. If you’re from my neck of the woods and find yourself near Wasaga Beach, do yourself a favour and pay the lovely ladies at Pierogi Crave a visit. You won’t regret it.