“Be the person your dog thinks you are.”

–J.W. Stephens

Whew; what we’ve been through since the presidential election! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not exactly equivalent to the Brits enduring the Nazi Blitz or the Chinese government’s detention of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

It was unsettling, nonetheless, to witness a mob of angry Americans breaking into the seat of our government and, now, the ongoing political bickering back and forth we knew would follow.

So, as an attempt at a breath of fresh air, and taking the advice of one of my closest advisors, who suggested, “Dad, why don’t you try a change of pace?”, I opted for a different kind of post this week.

Have you ever been the beneficiary of what is affectionately called a random act of kindness? I suspect many of us have, but probably too few of us go to the trouble to provide them.

New Year’s weekend, four of my family members and I were enjoying breakfast at a local restaurant. As we finished and were in the process of paying the bill, a gentleman unknown to us walked over, grabbed the check, and told us he would pick up our tab.

Were we surprised? Yes. Not sure what to say or how to react? Of course. Before we left, I did manage to regroup, walk over to his table, and thank him, as did my son-in-law.

As the owner of the restaurant is a family friend, I emailed him later that morning to find out more about our benefactor. “Oh, that’s Don,” he said. “He comes in quite often, and once or twice a week he’ll pick up the tab for 10-15 customers. He’s just paying it forward.”

Now, to be sure, we didn’t need his help. We were more than capable of paying the bill (or bartering by washing some dishes in the kitchen!). But that wasn’t the point.

This man didn’t know us from Adam. I could have been the owner of the city’s NFL franchise or a man down on his luck. He didn’t ask, because I assume it didn’t matter. He was more concerned, I’m sure, with his end of the transaction.

I am reminded of what someone once told me when we were weighing the merits of giving a few bucks to people who stand at street intersections. After I admitted I’m often skeptical of their motives, my friend said, “Remember, what you do is between you and him; what the recipient does with the money is between him and God.”

So true. I need to be a little less skeptical and a little more trusting. How about you? If your act of kindness is done in good faith, you’ll never be a fool for having done it.

Maybe we all need to practice offering more random acts of kindness, especially now. No, they won’t solve the world’s problems, but we might feel better about ourselves, and we might leave the recipient speechless, or maybe even lead them to blog about it.

I don’t think Don will read this post; however, I will pay it forward, and I regret that I didn’t assure him of that.

Now, another dog quote, often attributed to President Truman: “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” I guess some things in D.C. never change!

What is it about dogs? Well, they have short memories, never hold a grudge, are loyal and loving, and are always excited to see you when you come home. We could all do well to emulate those traits.