The Kindness of Strangers: A Wising Up Anthology

The kindness of strangers . . . It isn't earned. It isn't a right. It cannot happen in the same way in the same place twice. It can change your life. It can be the bus driver who stops when you're standing there crying after losing a job and opens the door and says, "You look beautiful when you cry." The businessman you ask directions from, who understands you don't know the language, so takes you by the hand and walks you to your destination with no sense of urgency. The child who invites the new boy at school to play with him. The white-haired mechanic who leaves his Sunday dinner to find a bolt to stabilize your tire so you can get home. It can be opening your own home to a family in crisis. Running to someone's aid after an accident. Complimenting someone on their colorful hijab or interesting tattoo. Carrying someone's groceries. Having the time and interest to hear someone out on the metro or waiting room. When and where in your life have you experienced the kindness of strangers? When have you demonstrated it? Why? How did you respond to the experience at the time? What sense do you make of it now? How has the experience shaped—or reshaped—your view of the world and of your place in it? We invite writers of all ages and cultures to help us explore this theme.

Country of Publication

United States