Last Saturday on the way to the mall, two children, a boy and a girl, came running towards me with bottles on their hands, asking if I wanted bottled water. It was a surprising gesture. I was wondering if they were doing fund-raising. I knelt and asked them where their parents were and how much a bottle of water cost. Then two adult women came up to me explaining what the children were doing. "We are teaching the children to give without anything in return. We are teaching people to accept without giving in return. " Two mothers had bought bottled water and placed a sticker on all bottles with five different quotes : 1. Smile at everyone. You'll never know when someone may need it. 2. If Plan A does not work, there are 25 more letters in the alphabets. 3. Have a thirst for life. Every day is filled with possibilities. 4. In your thirst for knowledge, be sure you don't drown in all the information. 5. Dig your well before you're thirsty. The bottle I have has quoted No.5. A sudden change of attitude opened up between me, the mothers and the children. We are no longer strangers to each other. We were having such a great time chatting and I ended up helping them give away the rest of the bottled water. One young lady was so thankful that she happily accepted the water and said it was the best thing that happened to her all day since she had a bad day at work. A man refused and walked away saying "no thanks". A couple kept on bowing to us in gratitude. When it was all done, the children and I were giving each other high-five. It was so much fun. I think I had more fun doing this than the mothers and the children. What did the author do after chatting with them?
Buy the rest of the bottled water. Give away some money for charity. Decide to meet with them regularly. Join them in being kind to strangers.