Kindness in Ecuador: Guest writer, Sandra Brooks

Thank you Sandra!

Dearest Missa,
I am seeing your progress as your traverse along your camino de kindness. This is an absolutely wonderful idea, and I am so proud of you for putting your creativity to something so GOOD!

I hope life is good with you right now, I have a feeling it is 

I also have a story pequeñita de kindness para ti!

So here in Ecuador, I've been trying to be aware of doing one random act of kindness every day, whether it's tipping my bus driver, giving up a seat on the bus for someone who needs it, sharing sweets as much as often etc.. 

So here's one act of kindness that came really spontaneously and seemingly fatefully.

One day, just after finishing my classes and on my way home, I got off my first bus and realized I didn't have a small enough change to get onto my next bus. So I decided to walk up Rio Coca, to the row of flower shops along the street to get some change. I pick a bouquet of flowers of white and yellow carnations, one orange like the sun daisy, and I'll say some rich lavender/mauve roses.

I run to the next station in the nick of time and squish my way into the standing/surfing crowd in the moving bus. In front of me is a middle-aged woman, and two men looking like Miami thugs who just came out of a music video.

Now, while my flowers are being squished by said thugs, an old woman wearing a rich lavender/mauve blouse sits in the just opened seat in front of me. She smiles at me and says in Spanish, "Let me hold your flowers, so you can have balance." I easily handed them over and felt comforted by her kindness.
Just as my stop was about to arise, I whispered to the old woman in rich lavender/mauve, "Your blouse is the same color as my roses! They match you beautifully, please have them." Then I jumped off the moving vehicle and walked home with my heart pounding and my face lit up, not because of the sweaty and pushy bus, but because of the happiness and satisfaction it gave me to imagine the old woman in rich lavender/mauve entering her home happier than she left it.

Let me know if that works for your Kindness blog,
I love you to the sun and beyond,
Sandra