A single, simple act of kindness can ripple out in ways that you don’t anticipate.
In the village where I live there are quite a few dog owners and I’ve met most of them over the years when I’ve been out walking my own beautiful Labrador, Alfie. It’s a great way to break the ice with people and my walks with Alfie are often punctuated with interesting and pleasant chats with lovely people I meet along the way.
One of these people is Audrey, a widow in her 80s who lives alone with her gorgeous and mischievous black Labrador, Lola. Lola and Alfie were always excited to see each other and just seemed to enjoy each other’s company whenever they met.
About a year ago, I became aware that Audrey was having some mobility issues which meant she was finding it difficult to walk Lola as often as she would like. The walks around the village are mostly around farmers’ fields and, when it’s wet, these can be muddy and slippery. Fully grown Labradors are quite strong and could easily pull a fit young person over, let alone an injured elderly lady who weighs next to nothing!
So, as far as I was concerned, there seemed a simple sensible solution to this problem: I could take Lola out with me on one of the daily walks I have with Alfie. That way, Lola still gets a good long walk to help maintain her fitness, and Audrey could rest to allow her to recover from treatment. It also means Audrey has some energy left to tend to her garden – which she loves doing.
Those benefits alone would be more than satisfactory outcomes of this simple gesture but, as it turns out, there have been so many more.
The first of these is that I have got to know more about Audrey through the lovely chats we have when I go to get Lola. Audrey is an intelligent, amusing and elegant woman who is great company. She often makes me laugh with her witty observations and her take on life.
She is fanatical and knowledgeable about football and often regales me with colourful accounts of her experiences and frustrations of watching her team. She supports a (current) English Premier League team and she and her husband were season ticket holders for many, many years before they moved to the village – and for some time afterwards even though it meant a 130-mile round trip to the ground. Her team has not always been in the EPL and it’s been over 40 years since they won anything of any significance – so she’s a proper fan, having supported them through thick and, mainly, thin.
I think we are all guilty of stereotyping people in some ways and so I love this about Audrey – you would never guess she was a football nut! I’m not into football at all but I find myself looking out for her team’s results, just so I can anticipate what mood she might be in when I see her.
Despite being great company, I don’t think she has many visitors and she sometimes feels a bit lonely. My visits mean that she gets to see someone most days which not only reduces her loneliness, but it also means that I’m able to keep an eye on her and see if and when she needs any other help.
I mainly walk Lola in the mornings which means that Audrey can have a gentle start to the day and not be dragged around the fields by an energetic and boisterous dog. This obviously reduces Audrey’s risk of falling and she can gather some energy for Lola’s walk in the afternoon. So she still gets to take her beloved dog out but she’s a little easier to cope with and Audrey gets some daily exercise, too.
My Alfie is quite a character and is very well-known in the village so when others see him with Lola they are curious. This enables me to let them know about Audrey’s situation without making a big deal of it. I would never betray her confidences and I don’t go into detail but I like to think that just letting people know why I’m walking Lola makes Audrey safer
Then there are the benefits for the dogs. They get SO excited to see each other and have a wonderful time playing together on the walks. Some Labradors are genetically disposed to want to constantly eat, and Lola and Alfie seem to be firmly in that particular camp. This can lead to weight and health issues and both the dogs, for different reasons, had recently put on weight. But having them running around, exploring things and playing together has helped them to regain their fitness.
It is pure joy for me to see them together – they greet each other with a kiss every day and they look out for each other on the walks. They are clear and distinct characters, which often means double the mischief, but I love how their friendship has developed. Alfie, who has never shown any aggression to other dogs (or people) and whose default position is laissez-faire, recently stepped in and bared his teeth at another dog that was showing Lola some unwanted attention. That’s when I knew how important she is to him.
For me, walking the two dogs is no burden at all – it’s an absolute pleasure but I know that Audrey appreciates that I take Lola. I know this because another of Audrey’s traits is kindness. She invariably has lovely treats for Alfie but, quite often, she has treats for me too. She keeps articles from newspapers and magazines that she knows I will be interested in; she is a great baker so I occasionally get tasty cakes and biscuits, or; she sometimes just hands me a bottle of wine.
I’m never kind because there might be a reward for it – kindness really is its own reward – but, almost without fail, there are joys that radiate from every act of kindness. Don’t be afraid to try it yourself - lob a little pebble of kindness and watch the ripples.
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