As I walked into the kitchen this morning to make coffee, I spotted my neighbor in their driveway.
It was early, but not as early as I usually get up. Cold but not frigid, you know? The light popped when I opened the blinds, revealing a bright but not sunny day.
Usually, right about now is when my neighbor Jason wheels his bike from the gate to the sidewalk—yes, even in snow and blizzard conditions—but this morning something was different. I saw no helmet or reflector vest. I heard no click-click-click from the wheels. In fact, there was no bike accompanying him at all. Not to mention, he was walking up his driveway instead of leaving it.
huh...
I kept watching with confusion.
Oh, right... coffee.
In addition to a black winter jacket, a wool hat, and thick gloves, Jason wore a smile, like usual, while casually pushing an electric snowblower in front of him. Maybe he was moving it? He'd cleared his driveway last night, of that much I'd been sure. I was there. So, I turned and squinted against the light shining through the windows and looked past Jason to where he'd been coming from.
That's when it'd dawned on me: he'd just done the neighbors driveway across the street. He must've—that's got to be it. Probably because they're older and he'd noticed they hadn't gotten to it yet. I'm completely speculating, but that'd be a very Jason thing to do.
A few minutes later, I saw a reflector vest and bike tire round the corner on their way to work. I smiled, taking a satisfied sip of coffee.
I really like where I live. I really like my neighbors.
And I really want to be like Jason.
When's the last time you caught someone doing a good deed for no apparent reason? What was it and what'd you notice about your reaction?
onward.
If you know someone who'd appreciate this, pass it along. And if something stuck with you while reading, I'd love to know what it was. For more on this daily column and The MAP Year Project, read the backstory here.