2023 – Week 16 – My Favorite!

I love Kindness week! It’s my favorite every year!

We all concentrated on the attribute of kindness this week, finding it and sharing it, and IT IS EVERYWHERE!

Whether you let someone get in front of you at the check-out line, or you help your neighbor move a five-bedroom house, it all counts. Size doesn’t matter. The entire class membership, staff, and guides, have been posting the kindnesses seen and done this week, and the number is staggering.

I remember a few years back when our tribe was sharing on Marco Polo during Kindness Week and the comments and examples overflowed! Our dear member Bonnie, was encouraging another member by reminding him that the pebble never sees the ripples. Wow! That is so simply, but profoundly true! The pebble is long gone down to the bottom of the pond, but the ripples keep going and going.

The Pebble Never Sees The Ripples!

That is exactly what happened with my friend, Macie this week. Her mother has been working her current job for well over 20 years, and is suffering from severe degenerative joint disease in her spine. She has been able to continue to work because she had a counter-height stool that she used in order to serve customers part of the day. The company decided it didn’t want employees to sit anymore, so they removed the stool. Then started asking her to do physical tasks she had never done before, while there were employees 30-40 years younger with much better ability available to do the tasks. 

Macie was asked by her mom to write a resignation letter. Mom considered consulting a labor attorney because the company was in violation of several parts of the American’s with Disabilities Act, and other general labor practices, but she didn’t want to make a fuss, and only wanted unemployment compensation until she became eligible for social security several months hence.

Macie wrote the letter citing the many ways the company was in violation of the ADA, preventing Mom from being able to continue work as she had for years with less pain, etc., etc., and only asking for unemployment.

Well, that resignation letter created massive ripples in that company, which has over 20 locations across two states. They are surprised (and probably quite grateful) she is only asking for unemployment, and has pledged to educate all their employees on ADA compliance and to review all their personnel policies. And, not surprisingly, during her last two weeks of employment, they have not asked her to do the physical tasks they were requiring before. And she has the stool back. 

Macie dropped a simple pebble as an act of kindness for her mom, and because of that, current and future employees of this company will benefit. That was a powerful pebble!

What kindnesses have you seen or done this week?