Acts of kindness

Apart from social distancing, shopping has now settled into the new normal. No shortages of stock but additional measures to adhere to that are in place to keep everyone safe.

I was recently doing my shopping on a bright sunny day. There was a long queue to get into the shop and I, along with many others, topped up with Vitamin D while waiting. At the entrance sanitiser was available and everyone was cleaning trolleys and baskets. It was reassuring to see that national guidance was being followed. My shopping commenced in the strangely quiet shop. I found myself missing the buzz of conversation as I shopped in the silence.

Having ticked off my list, I queued up to pay and after quite a while realised there was another queue to the same cashier on the other side of the isle. I was starting to get a little frustrated with the waiting and turned to check how long the other queue was. Next to me were a couple who must have noticed my frustration as I realised the situation. They smiled at me and asked if I would like to go ahead of them. It was such a relief! I couldn’t thank them enough as I offloaded my shopping.

And their act of kindness was not just for me alone. A young man came along with only a couple of items in the basket and he too was asked to go ahead of them. What a gesture! This left me with a smile on my face for the rest of the day and I also reflected on when I’m kind to other people.

In recent weeks, the public has joined hands in clapping for our key workers as an act of kindness.

People are delivering groceries to vulnerable people or phoning friends and neighbours to check on them. Undertaking these acts of kindness make us feel better about ourselves, improve our mental wellbeing and have a huge impact on those to whom we are kind.

There are endless opportunities to do something good for someone and I was reminded, by this simple act of kindness, to do more myself. 

These challenging times for all of us and can sometimes feel overwhelming, the RCN has provided information about how to look after yourself.

For other issues, help, advice and support for our members, please visit the Get Help section of the RCN website.