Thank you, Brad, for help at grocery store
It is a wonderful thing to still have someone offering a random act of kindness to a virtual stranger amidst the COVID-19 pandemic — and I was the fortunate recipient.
On Tuesday, March 24, 2020, I was shopping for my family in the Walmart Super Centre in Duncan, trying to stock up on a few items in case we have to stay home for a few weeks. Nothing strange in that, however, there I was, pushing the largest grocery cart available and it was more than half full, from a wheelchair, completely covered from head to toe, with only my eyes peeking out, as I can’t take the chance of taking the virus home to my mom who is over 80 and has a previous respiratory condition.
I must have looked like something from a scary Halloween cartoon, but that didn’t stop this very kind stranger from reaching out and asking if he could help me with my shopping. Normally, I would have said, “Thanks for offering, but I’m good,” but today, my cart was getting very heavy and I still had quite a bit on my list yet to find, so I said, “I would normally say no, but today, yes, thank you.”
He introduced himself as Brad, sanitized his hands right in front of me so I wouldn’t worry what he touched and put in my cart, and away we went and found everything else I needed to get. And he didn’t stop there. Brad helped me scan and bag my groceries at the self check out, put them back into the cart and took them out to my truck and loaded them into the back for me.
I work in a school, and a few times during the school year, we have “compassion week” where our Leadership students have days designated to doing good things, such as “Random Act of Kindness” day. Not only do I want to let Brad know how grateful I am for the kindness he showed me during a pandemic, I want to let the young people in our society today know that it doesn’t just happen in school because we say it is this or that day — it is real and people are awesome!
So, to Brad, thank you! from my family and myself. You made my day and then some. It will not soon be forgotten by any of us, and somewhere in the future there is someone waiting for myself or my family to pay it forward. And to the young people of today, this could be you one day, getting a well deserved thank you.
Dianne Martin
Lake Cowichan