The Red Polish

When I was a little girl of about five years old, I became very aware of how pretty and feminine my mother was.  It bothered me that she was so glamorous looking and I was so plain.  I especially loved her red nail polish.

One day I asked my dad why she was so beautiful and I was not. I think he was shocked that I was so aware of physical appearances at such a young age and even more so that I wanted to be anything more than the little five year old I was.  I can almost recall the sadness on his face as he realized that I didn't think I was pretty.  Without a doubt, he already thought I was beautiful.  He pressed me further and learned that it was the red nail polish and lipstick that I was smitten with. I thought that if I could wear those things I would suddenly be perfectly beautiful just like my mother was. I cried a little bit while we were talking.

Several days later, on a rainy Sunday, my father presented me with a gift.  I was very excited and could hardly stand the suspense.  It wasn't my birthday so I couldn't imagine why I was receiving a gift all wrapped up and tied with a bow.  He smiled at me as I ripped the paper open.  Inside was a red bag, quilted, with a silver zipper.  I opened the zipper and inside were two tubes of lipstick, red and pink, red nail polish, a package of emery boards, and a small bottle of hand lotion.

We opened the red polish and he painted my nails and then carefully applied just a little bit of lipstick for me. I thought I looked just as beautiful as my mother.  It was a special afternoon.  I knew in my young mind that he wanted to make a little wish of mine come true and I realized more than ever before how much he loved me.- Ann, NY

Kindness In Line

I was standing in line at the grocery store poking through the magazines that surrounded me and wishing the line would hurry up. Time was passing by more and more and I realized none of us had moved ahead an inch. "Great," I thought, "someone's probably making a stink to the cashier about the price of grapes," or some ridiculous thing. I checked my phone, texted a few people, checked the time again and I was still standing in the same place. I realized I hadn't been paying attention to anyone or anything around me, so I looked up to the cashier. Beyond the person who was ahead of me was an elderly woman standing at the checkout fishing through her purse frantically.  The woman ahead of me in line got involved in the situation and I listened in to try to figure out what was going on. The elderly woman's eyes were welled up with tears, and she was explaining that she only brought cash with her and didn't have enough money to pay for her groceries. She was searching her purse for all the coins she could find, but it was not enough. She was afraid that the bus that drove her to the store from the elderly housing unit was going to depart without her. The woman in front of me stepped up and kindly tried to comfort the elderly woman. She quickly paid the remaining tab of the groceries without blinking an eye. The elderly woman was  grateful and thanked her, but at the same time I could tell she was a little embarrassed. The kind stranger did nothing but smile and reassure her that she was happy to pay the few dollars.

I watched in awe of the random act of kindness and had to swallow the lump growing in my throat to avoid crying in public. The elderly woman's dilemma was far more important than me trying to rush out of the grocery store. The stranger's kindness contrasted starkly with the busy, impatient setting that surrounded us. I pinched myself for falling into the trap of the everyday rush and forgetting to be kind, patient and helpful.  I'll never forget this random act of kindness and how that sweet stranger did something that changed the world, though not many people will ever know it. -Cass {20 years old, NH}