A woman approached us as we walked along the sidewalk in the hospital corridor near my home.
“May I ask you a question?” she asked.

“Sure.”
“Is it okay if I approach your dog?”
“Of course.” She walked up to Jaxon and kneeled down to pet him.
“Oh, I so needed a mini Schnauzer ‘fix’ this morning. We don’t live here and our dog is back home. I miss her so.” She looked up at me. “My husband is in the Intensive Care Unit.”

“Oh, dear. Covid?” I asked.
“No, he had a heart attack. And, last night they had to take him back into surgery where he then suffered a second heart attack.”
“Oh, I am so sorry.” I put myself in her place, thinking of being in a city far from home with a husband in the ICU. Tears spontaneously streaked down my face. “I cry easily,” I apologized.

She nodded as if she understood. All the while, she is petting Jaxon, who acted perfectly content to soak up as many pets as possible. After standing up, she went on to say, “We have had four mini Schnauzers over the years. Our current dog is fifteen years old. It was hard to leave her behind with someone.”

“Jaxon is older too. He’s twelve.”

“They are such a playful breed, aren’t they? Up until the very end, always wanting to run and play,” she said.

“This is our first Schnauzer, but I’m not surprised. He generally has boundless energy.”

“All four of ours lived to around fourteen and a half to fifteen years. Two of them had dementia.”

“Really?”

“Yes, one of them would tilt sideways now and then. The other one ran in circles over and over and over, and became so thin we had to put her down. They were memorable pets.” She paused. “You have no idea how you and Jaxon have lifted my spirits this morning. I so needed this.”

I offered her a hug and she also began to cry. “Whenever someone hugs me, I cry. Hugs are such an unexpected kindness. My name is Kathleen, by the way.”
“I’m Vicki.”
We talked about mini Schnauzers a few minutes longer.
“Well, I best get on to the hospital. Thank you again for giving me this gift. It will sustain me as I face the day.”

We parted ways. What are the chances my dog and I would be walking down that particular sidewalk at the same moment Kathleen intersected our path from the parking lot?

Her words about kindness caught me off guard. For me, hugging her seemed the natural response. I thought about it and realized we all left with a gift. My dog enjoyed the unexpected petting which, in turn, offered this stranger comfort and her perception of kindness allowed me to enjoy a warm and satisfied feeling in my heart. Serendipity at its finest. What better way to start the day?

Kindness. It is always the right choice.

It’s one of those perfect days. Out on a walk with my mini-Schnauzer, I delight in feeling the warmth of the spring sun dancing across my back. I realize again what a long winter we have experienced. We had the more snow here this past winter than any other year since the weather bureau began keeping records.

Day after day of cold weather eventually wore me down, so I’m elated to see spring finally make her appearance. Walking along the sidewalk, my neighbors’ yellow daffodils and red tulips wave to me in the breeze, reminding me that even with its unpredictability, I love this season of rebirth.

Yes, today has been a good day.

With all the angst of an uncertain writer, I often fret about all sorts of imagined disasters in the aftermath of releasing my books into the universe, so it I find it important to not only savor today, but to tuck the memory of this day away in order to remember it on days that aren’t so perfect.

I have put all imagined disasters aside for today. This morning a long-time friend texted me that she “couldn’t put Maggie down.” The local hospital gift store that carries both my books sold two copies of Maggie in the past two weeks and needed more. Music to an author’s ears. All’s right with the world.

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