Random Acts of Kindness
There's a toll bridge in Oxfordshire, in Eynsham, which costs 5p to drive across. It's not a vast sum by any means but you do need to have your 5p ready so you don't hold up a queue of cars behind you.
Some time ago, when my partner Mark and I were driving towards the toll booth we had a 10 pence piece ready and normally we'd be given our 5p in change.
But this time something small but different happened. As we were approaching the bridge there was a car behind us. We didn't know the people in the car and they didn't know us but we decided to pay their 5p as well as our own.
Mark handed over our 10 pence piece and told the toll collector it was for the car behind too.
As we drove off we watched in our car mirrors that car approaching the toll, trying to pay and being told we'd paid for them already.
We could almost hear the conversation that went on inside their car. Wondering if they knew us, disbelieving that total strangers would pay for them too with nothing to gain.
But we did have something to gain! That amazing feeling of having done a random act of kindness, like a huge well of joy bubbling up and bursting out of us in hysterical laughter. The car behind was flashing it's lights at us in thanks and we were laughing our heads off.
Such a high. And all for 5p.
So if you're heading over the Eynsham toll bridge anytime soon and the people in the car in front pay for you too then it may well be us. Or maybe not. It could just be that random acts of kindness are spreading.
"No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted." Aesop