Do you find that kindness is contagious? When you see someone helping others, does it make you more inclined to offer assistance to strangers yourself? I have just returned from a holiday where I was struck by the kindness of strangers. In some cases these were fellow travellers who had perhaps gone through a similar experience. But sometimes they were local people offering help and advice.

My partner and I met with a few difficulties on our onward journey from the airport. This was because several major works had been completed during the previous year, and we emerged from the airport into unfamiliar surroundings.

Examples of kindness on holiday

A kindly couple from New Zealand took the trouble to explain the new tram system to us, escorting us to the correct station and pointing out where we should change line. We were very grateful for help to avoid something that could have caused us considerable confusion and stress. On our return journey, a man offered to carry my suitcase up a long flight of stairs at a railway station. An offer I took up gratefully, even though I warned him it was heavy!

I saw many examples of this at railway stations and bus stops during the holiday. In fact, in answer to the question “do you find that kindness is contagious”, we helped quite a few people ourselves! Those who were not completely sure which station they needed, or where the bus stop was.

In this current climate of on-line trolling and a willingness to always think the worst of people, it was lovely to see the flip side of the coin. The willingness to inconvenience oneself to help someone else is refreshing. It has helped to restore my faith in the nature of human kindness!

I found this interesting article by Eva Wiseman in The Guardian online.

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