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| The Nicest Thing |
áYesterday,
a family did the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for me. I
was driving home from church, traveling down Orange Avenue in
Downtown Daytona Beach, and passed by my office. Much to my horror
and dismay, someone had pushed over two of my large flower pots.
Dirt, mulch and the tender plants I had so lovingly nurtured to
maturity were laying maimed and bruised on the dirty sidewalk.
Pause for a second while I elaborate on how emotionally wrapped up in these plants I am. Two years ago, when we bought this office building, it was a sad, empty and depressed structure. The first thing I did was plant flowers in the planters and augment the planters with additional pots. I went nuts with flowers. Orange Avenue was one of the most blighted side streets in downtown, and although I knew that I couldn't change the street overnight, I could get flowers growing in a few weeks. My neighbors warned me that they would all be trashed and stolen. I brazenly disregarded their warnings and filled the front of the building with flats of fresh flowers. Every day I checked on those flower planters and pots, ensuring that I had defied the odds and my little contributions to change were still flourishing.
So back to my wonderful story of human kindness.áYesterday, my heart sank as I got out of my station wagon. My will crumbled as I realized I couldn't even pick up the heavy flower pots. I felt weak and powerless, as I quietly railed against the evil thoughtless jerks who so carelessly tipped over the flowers I had so lovingly cared for. Then I inwardly cursed my husband for being out of town while I am here dealing with this crap. Then I sat onáthe steps and thought, "What am I doing with my life? Why am I working so hard in an area where drunk idiots can just walk by in the middle of the night and destroy my efforts?". My inner thoughts were swirling into a negative whirlwind of anger and dispair.....
...Enter the tan mini-van. This unassuming chariot of valor and hope pulled up beside me in the parallel parking spot on Orange Avenue. A man, his wife and teenage son jumped out of the car. The husband said, "My wife saw you standing here with these tipped-over planters. We want you to know that there are more good people in the world than bad". He continued to tell me that they have been admiring the flowers and pass by the building daily. This generous family spent thirty minutes on a bright sunny afternoon helping me sweep up the dirt and debris of human nature's dark side, restoring and confirming my belief that there is always more good in this world than bad. After the mess was gone, the pots put back in place, the flowers rescued, I hugged each one of them. Then I got back in my car and cried tears of joy and gratitude. I thought, "flower pots are easily overturned, and the flowers in them can die, but the flowers of human kindness will bloom eternally." Thank you for your kindness.
Pause for a second while I elaborate on how emotionally wrapped up in these plants I am. Two years ago, when we bought this office building, it was a sad, empty and depressed structure. The first thing I did was plant flowers in the planters and augment the planters with additional pots. I went nuts with flowers. Orange Avenue was one of the most blighted side streets in downtown, and although I knew that I couldn't change the street overnight, I could get flowers growing in a few weeks. My neighbors warned me that they would all be trashed and stolen. I brazenly disregarded their warnings and filled the front of the building with flats of fresh flowers. Every day I checked on those flower planters and pots, ensuring that I had defied the odds and my little contributions to change were still flourishing.
So back to my wonderful story of human kindness.áYesterday, my heart sank as I got out of my station wagon. My will crumbled as I realized I couldn't even pick up the heavy flower pots. I felt weak and powerless, as I quietly railed against the evil thoughtless jerks who so carelessly tipped over the flowers I had so lovingly cared for. Then I inwardly cursed my husband for being out of town while I am here dealing with this crap. Then I sat onáthe steps and thought, "What am I doing with my life? Why am I working so hard in an area where drunk idiots can just walk by in the middle of the night and destroy my efforts?". My inner thoughts were swirling into a negative whirlwind of anger and dispair.....
...Enter the tan mini-van. This unassuming chariot of valor and hope pulled up beside me in the parallel parking spot on Orange Avenue. A man, his wife and teenage son jumped out of the car. The husband said, "My wife saw you standing here with these tipped-over planters. We want you to know that there are more good people in the world than bad". He continued to tell me that they have been admiring the flowers and pass by the building daily. This generous family spent thirty minutes on a bright sunny afternoon helping me sweep up the dirt and debris of human nature's dark side, restoring and confirming my belief that there is always more good in this world than bad. After the mess was gone, the pots put back in place, the flowers rescued, I hugged each one of them. Then I got back in my car and cried tears of joy and gratitude. I thought, "flower pots are easily overturned, and the flowers in them can die, but the flowers of human kindness will bloom eternally." Thank you for your kindness.
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212 S Beach Street | Daytona Beach, FL 32114 | Office: 386-257-5105
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