By Nancy Patrick

I recently wrote an article that left some readers feeling depressed. I think the tragedy and sorrow in the world had overwhelmed me when I wrote that one. It got me to thinking about the nature of humanity—is it good, evil, or a mixture of both?

I recently shared a lunch table with several professional “religious” people. We had gone through a sandwich buffet and had just begun enjoying our meals when one of our tablemates commented on how much he loved his Cheetos.

I noted that he had the crunchy type that transfers orange cheese powder to the fingers of the eater. The woman next to him asked if he preferred the crunchy or puffy Cheetos to which he replied that each type had superior qualities. He mentioned enjoying the airy texture of the puffy ones while preferring the added substance of the crunchy type. 

The conversation moved on to the issue of orange fingers at the work place. The female pointed out that eating the Cheetos with chop sticks would avoid the powdery transfer. 

You might wonder what the others at the table did during this conversation. I can tell you we did not talk because we focused our attention on these two with amused astonishment.

As the two conversationalists stood, they laughed at our facial expressions. We, on the other hand, complimented them on their comprehensive discussion of the delights of Cheetos.

What in the world had just happened? I think we call it comic relief when it occurs in literary discussions. Some stories so intensely affect our emotions that we need a moment of rest in which to breathe.

Listening to the seemingly senseless conversation about Cheetos made me think of my own life (not related to Cheetos) which rarely admits silly, fun, nonsensical thoughts into it. I sometimes allow the larger world and all its problems to oppress me with darkness and a sense of hopelessness.

After realizing the heaviness of my last article, I decided to look around me for some stories that would add a breath of fresh air to my attitude. I found that many of the national news broadcasts devote a segment at the end of a newscast on Fridays to highlight something good in America.

CBS airs one of my favorite programs, On the Road, with Steve Hartman. The late Charles Kuralt began the stories on CBS Evening News in the 1970s. Hartman took over the program in 2011.

It has evolved into a heartwarming series of stories that highlight all sorts of people doing acts of kindness within their own sphere of influence.

One segment features an eighty-two-year-old retired real estate salesman in Hartford, Connecticut. Once a week, he sets up a folding chair in a city park and gives haircuts and shaves to the homeless. All the “customers” call him Barber Joe and say he feels like a grandfather to them. Why does he do this? You can see a video of Joe at On the Road: Haircuts for the homeless (youtube.com).

If you Google “Steve Hartman On the Road or Kindness 101,” you can find myriad uplifting human stories to counteract the negative news of the day.  Another that I particularly enjoy focuses on Al Nixon, a water department employee for St. Petersburg, Florida. About seven years ago, Al began sitting on a park bench to give himself some solitude and space to think.

People began sitting down next to him and telling him all sorts of things they wouldn’t tell just anyone. Al, however, is a safe listener. His bench became a place where anyone can sit and talk. Al listens, seldom saying anything. He feels this listening bench has become his purpose or ministry in the world. His “clients” trust him completely and consider him an important part of their lives (A master listener (youtube.com).

In addition to the beautiful stories Harman shares, the broader news often highlights a significant good deed done by someone or a group of people who want to improve humanity. One story discusses a program in Tulane’s biomedical engineering department. 

Some of their students have created and produced child-size wheelchairs that enable handicapped children to navigate worlds while they are too small to use regular wheelchairs. You can watch a fascinating video about these students at Biomedical engineering students create child-size wheelchairs | Tulanian (tulane.edu).

Another good deed came from a Detroit man, Nate Hawes, who felt the need to help children have a better way to study at home when he discovered that many students had no desks or designated place to do homework. He began his program called Desks by Nate. Anyone who needs a desk can contact him, and he will add their name to his list (Teacher makes thousands of desks for students (youtube.com).

One of the acts of kindness and generosity that continues to amaze me is the living donor program. People who need organ transplants often wait a very long time before a match is found. Word has traveled that strangers can donate if family members do not match. 

This innovation creates an exchange situation in which people give organs to complete strangers they will never meet. That doesn’t matter to them—the humanity we share motivates their kindness (The Living Donor Transplant Swap ~ ).

I spent a lot of time searching out these stories about human kindness because I needed to give my spirit a boost of love, generosity, kindness, and selflessness. I found that boost in abundance. I challenge you to spend some time looking for the good around you to counteract the overwhelming sadness and evil in the world. The relief may not be comic, but it is therapeutic.

Nancy Patrick is a retired teacher who lives in Abilene and enjoys writing