We've all heard of people who've paid bridge or highway tolls for the people behind them. During a hitched ride from Stonehenge to Emsworth, all generally southwest of London, an elderly man treated me to lunch and later, to four o'clock "tea" with delicious snacks of biscuits, scones and cakes. In Portsmouth, the man accidentally left his wallet on his car's trunk during a petrol (gas) stop. Just as he started the engine to drive off, two passing girls yelled to him about the … [Read more...]
Randomly selected Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) involving heroics that have made my day.
As part of a series of blogs about RAKs from my days as a hitchhiker, I offer these stories involving radically different sized vehicles. They show that everyday heroes come not only in all different sizes, shapes and colors but also in all different conveyances. Imagine my surprise when an empty bus roared past me and then came to a stop in a cloud of dust several hundred yards ahead of me. I half walked and half ran toward the bus, thinking it would be absurd for a bus to stop for a … [Read more...]
Little Heroic Acts by Others that have Made my Day.
Perhaps you see God at work in your daily life. Or Lady Luck? Random Acts of Kindness? I'd love to hear what makes your day. In Cleft Heart: Chasing Normal, I've related some of the amazing things that happened to me as I hitch-hiked and ship-hiked around the world in my youth. In the next few posts, I will share some vignettes about heroic kindness that I left out of my book. A screech of tires, a door flung open, and another random act of kindness. Whenever I accepted rides … [Read more...]
Heroes Create Problems–at least in some places
During a recent trip to Nicaragua, I heard one of the most compelling arguments I've ever heard against heroes. (Mind you, though, people don't run up to me every day to whisper anti-hero nasties in my ear.) A local guide explained that Nicaragua's largest city, Managua, confuses visitors because it has no street signs. He explained, "That means you or your taxi driver better know an important landmark near where you want to go. . .or you're up a creek." My mind transported me back to … [Read more...]
If you’re gonna attack our Celebrity Culture, go after the Grand Dame, the Oscars.
Offered without comment: Ethan Hawke has branded the Oscars “destructive” and “fake” in a scathing criticism of the Hollywood awards season just days before the movie industry’s biggest ceremony. The two-time Oscar nominee, who received nods for 2001′s “Training Day” and 2004 romance “Before Sunset,” fears the annual tradition of handing out prizes is detrimental to the industry because it encourages such a fiercely competitive culture. He is also convinced the Academy Awards have very … [Read more...]