Karma Sometimes Has a Quick Turnaround - a summer mini-blog

Coming back home after getting upstairs, hopping in the power wheelchair and heading out, the woman who'd asked for help with parking her car was all but forgotten. Ruby was tired so I was giving her a ride on my power wheelchair. She spotted a big red balloon, obviously lost, rolling about in the middle of the road. Like any child worth her salt she wanted to run into the road, rescue the balloon and then have it for herself. Like any adult equal to the duty of child minding, I said a quick, 'No.' Then, I explained that the red balloon was in the middle of busy street and it would be dangerous to get it. The last part of what I said to her was overheard by a young dad behind us, his child was sleeping in one of those harnesses that hold the infant in place on the parents chest. He said to me, 'Is that her balloon, would she like me to get it?' I said that the balloon was something that we'd spotted but it didn't belong to us. He asked then, 'Would the little girl like it anyways?' I asked Ruby and she said, much to my delight, 'Yes, please.'

So now she carried the red balloon and I carried her. When we got to the apartment we went around the back way as there is a lawn there and she could play with her balloon. She immediately tossed it into the air and then ran and ran and ran, catching and throwing the balloon. Her laughter filled the back yard. It was fun to watch. Indeed another family, arrayed on blankets on the lawn was watching, most particularly a very young infant boy. His mother is, perhaps, one of the most friendly women in the building, so she greeted us warmly and called out to Ruby encouraging her to catch the balloon. Ruby, a very social being, worked her way over to them and introduced herself to Mother and child. The boy reached, futilely towards the balloon. When Ruby saw this she leaned down and let him swat at the balloon. This gave him great delight.

It was time for us to go in and Ruby ran to us carrying the balloon in her hands. Just as we got to the door, she said, 'I think I'd like to give my balloon to the baby.' We let her think about it and then she decided that this was what she wanted to do. She went over and leaned down and gave the boy the balloon. He took hold of the balloon and began to do everything but burst it! We could see Ruby's moment of regret as ownership transferred from her fingers to his, and then she smiled at his reaction.

A kind adult can grow from this kind of kid.

A kid that will need to see kindness from those around her.

This means that this is the kind of adults we need to be.

Why does she set the standard so very high?