Good Deeds

  Since I took a shot at the Boy Scouts a little over a week ago, I'll strive for balance today.  This is one of my creative writing assignments:

          A short time after I retired, I decided I would try to do a good deed every day.  The idea came to me as I pushed a shopping cart back to the store.  Pre-retirement, I wouldn’t have had the time to return a cart, because I hurriedly shopped during my lunch hour.  Now, there is no reason not to return carts.  No matter how cold and windy the weather, I should be returning those carts, after which I could tick off the day’s good turn.  Thus, I took on the mission of the daily act of kindness.

     I didn’t realize it at the time, but I have since learned that the slogan of the Boy Scouts is, “Do a good turn daily.”  And all these years, I thought the Boy Scout helping Granny cross the street was the product of Hollywood sit-com writers.  You've seen the character, a feisty old woman offended by the suggestion that she needs assistance, comes out swinging her purse at the kid in the khaki shirt and neckerchief.  It’s no joke.  Boy Scouts, who take their directive seriously, dedicate themselves to finding some small way to be of service each day.  

     Hopefully, I have a long life ahead of me.  Longer life means I have to come up with more good deeds.  No matter how creative I become, some of these acts will be repeated many times.  Some will be so trivial they hardly qualify as an act of kindness.  It doesn't matter, as long as I manage to do something each day.  I might pick up some litter, report a broken jar of spaghetti sauce all over aisle #12 at the supermarket, or make faces to amuse a fussy baby while her mother tries to unload a shopping cart and pay for groceries.  Or I could resist the urge to be snitty to a telemarketer,  take the treats the dog rejected to the animal shelter where the mutts aren’t so picky, or be the only one on the block to put out a bag of canned goods for (you guessed it) the Boy Scouts.  The longer you are at it, the easier it gets.  I’m also not above thinking that all these good deeds will get me some God-points toward a longer life.   

     Not all good deeds leave you with that warm and fuzzy feeling.  For example, Good Deed #46 involved returning a flipped recycling bucket to the upright position and putting some broken glass in it which the recycle guys left in the road, even though it caused me to be whirled around by the wind created by a car passing at a high rate of speed.  Additionally, there was some fist shaking on the part of the driver of that car.  Good Deed # 127 resulted in puncture wounds when I tried to clip the nails of a friend's dog.  

     I like to fantasize that the box I picked up prevented a broken hip, or the nails I picked up prevented a flat tire.  At times, I think the best part of this whole project is when I hear that something I considered minuscule brought tears to the eyes of the person on the receiving end. Then I think again and hope something I did left them gasping for breath because, they have laughed so hard.

     Maybe a daily good turn is too much to ask, but I would like to request that everyone in the whole, wide world try to do something nice on a regular schedule – once a week, once a month, or once a year.  Let’s all be Boy Scouts, just better dressed.