THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

        

The little acts. The big ones. The in-between sorts. We are the recipient of the kindness of strangers quite frequently. (And sometimes the unfortunate receivers of acts of idiocy from strangers and friends...but that is another entry. ::smile::)

  As happens during the time I take watercolor lessons, I tend to obsess. I want THE perfect picture to paint. I try and try and try to make my painting as good as I possibly can. The effort is certainly there, but the skill level and natural ability I possess are lacking. That does not stop me from continuing to try to improve. Go me!

Anyway, I have made mention of this current painting of a chapel I am desperately trying to complete. It is different for me in that the size of the painting is very small. It is tedious work.

The church is located in Chicago, and it is part of a wonderful vacation I spent there. I fell in love with the French and English Gothic architecture of this particular church. It is situated on the corner of North Michigan Avenue and Delaware Place, and it is a massive structure. It is on the Delaware Place side where this tiny chapel is located. It seats only 15 people.

So, I pulled up my photographs taken of the exterior of that chapel. None of them showed the very top of the doorway, and I had wanted that in my painting. I surfed the web for hours attempting to find a full picture, but I came up with photos of only the main entrances. As a last resort, I emailed the church and explained my dilemma. I asked if they had a complete picture. I heard nothing from them. I called the church, too, but I did not leave a message on the machine. I decided to just go ahead and paint the scene without the archway.

Lo and behold, yesterday I received a reply to my email. Complete with a photograph of that gorgeous chapel exterior. I was beyond excited. A note was attached apologizing for the delay and hoping it was not "too late" to be of help to me. I had to do some serious scrambling to try to incorporate that picture into my painting. And that is not easy to do with watercolors as opposed to oils or acrylics. Some alterations were impossible to make, so it is not going to be a precise reproduction. That does not matter to me. I have the gist of the little chapel down well enough. I am not done with it yet. We move on to a winter landscape on Tuesday. I have to intensify my efforts to finish before then!

See how a total stranger did something to help me? It was not only nice; it took the person some time. Her time. Time is a valuable commodity. It got me thinking about those who do things to make our days go a little smoother. The cashiers, the grocery store baggers, the gas station attendants, the waitresses, the sanitation workers...people in every profession. Undoubtedly, all of them have gone above and beyond the call of duty to assist someone regularly or occasionally.

Some years back, I was loading my grocery bags into my car. The back of my left hand scraped against the metal of the shopping cart. I barely noticed it, and I continued the task. It was as I was going to take the empty cart back that I realized the diamond was missing from my engagement ring. I panicked. The day was extremely sunny, and the asphalt was sparkling EVERYWHERE. How in the world would I ever find the diamond? I knew I could replace it, but a new one would not hold the sentimental value the original diamond held. Tears were streaming down my face as I got down on my hands and knees looking for that jewel alongside my vehicle and everywhere around the area. I will never forget the stranger who stopped to help me. Even though she was unsuccessful in locating it, she gave me moral support when I was ready to give up. She departed after a time, and I kept hunting. Yes, I found it. And, yes, she deserves the credit for it. I know I would have quit looking had she not happened by just when she did. In the grand scheme of life, that diamond means little. But...

The kindness of a stranger means a lot.

"Life is made up not of great sacrifices or duties, but of little things in which smiles and kindnesses and small obligations, given habitually, are what win and preserve the heart and secure comfort." ~Humphrey Davy