A Random Act of Kindness from a Stranger
A heartwarming story I shared with some friends, but wanted to extend out here too.
Chris and I have been wanting to try Petra, an Arabic restaurant, for a while now. We had tried going twice only to find it closed. On Saturday, we tried our luck yet again, and decided to go for lunch. On our walk there, we randomly decided to walk down a street we don’t normally pass. When walking, Chris and I usually go side by side on the sidewalk, moving into a single file if we see people coming at us or from behind us. As we were walking, we heard a guy coming from behind, so we stopped to let him pass. When he passed us, this guy in a pink shirt smiled and said thank you, and we smiled and nodded back.
We continued on our way, arrived at the restaurant, and who do we see there but the guy in the pink shirt that we saw on our walk! We laughed, smiled, and nodded to each other, then sat down at a table. Petra was a nice and small restaurant run by this one guy, and he and the guy in the pink shirt seemed to know each other and be conversing in Arabic.
We sat down, looked at the menu, waited our turn to order the food, enjoyed some peppermint Arabic tea, then the food when it arrived. We had a simple spread, and everything was delicious; a great first experience there.
When we were ready to go, I was having a hard time catching the owner’s eye, so I stood to go to the bar and ask for the check. The owner smiled and said that our friend had paid for our meal. I looked at him confused, and he said that the guy in the pink shirt had said that he knew us and he was our friend, and had paid for our meal. At first, I was just standing there trying to process everything because I wasn’t sure if I was understanding correctly, and the owner just kept trying to reassure me that everything was taken care of.
With an overwhelming sense of gratitude, and still in a bit of a happy shock, I went over to tell Chris what had happened. We left the restaurant keeping an eye out for the guy in the pink shirt, but didn’t see him again. It was such a small yet big gesture, and a beautiful act of kindness from a stranger. Along with that, a lovely reminder of the good that exists in the world (and to pay it forward!).
I wish our kind stranger friend a lot of blessings in his life, and I hope everyone has a happy week ahead. :)
Chris and I have been wanting to try Petra, an Arabic restaurant, for a while now. We had tried going twice only to find it closed. On Saturday, we tried our luck yet again, and decided to go for lunch. On our walk there, we randomly decided to walk down a street we don’t normally pass. When walking, Chris and I usually go side by side on the sidewalk, moving into a single file if we see people coming at us or from behind us. As we were walking, we heard a guy coming from behind, so we stopped to let him pass. When he passed us, this guy in a pink shirt smiled and said thank you, and we smiled and nodded back.
We continued on our way, arrived at the restaurant, and who do we see there but the guy in the pink shirt that we saw on our walk! We laughed, smiled, and nodded to each other, then sat down at a table. Petra was a nice and small restaurant run by this one guy, and he and the guy in the pink shirt seemed to know each other and be conversing in Arabic.
We sat down, looked at the menu, waited our turn to order the food, enjoyed some peppermint Arabic tea, then the food when it arrived. We had a simple spread, and everything was delicious; a great first experience there.
When we were ready to go, I was having a hard time catching the owner’s eye, so I stood to go to the bar and ask for the check. The owner smiled and said that our friend had paid for our meal. I looked at him confused, and he said that the guy in the pink shirt had said that he knew us and he was our friend, and had paid for our meal. At first, I was just standing there trying to process everything because I wasn’t sure if I was understanding correctly, and the owner just kept trying to reassure me that everything was taken care of.
With an overwhelming sense of gratitude, and still in a bit of a happy shock, I went over to tell Chris what had happened. We left the restaurant keeping an eye out for the guy in the pink shirt, but didn’t see him again. It was such a small yet big gesture, and a beautiful act of kindness from a stranger. Along with that, a lovely reminder of the good that exists in the world (and to pay it forward!).
I wish our kind stranger friend a lot of blessings in his life, and I hope everyone has a happy week ahead. :)
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