Random Acts of Kindness: The best kind of frugal luxury

It’s a post I’ve been meaning to write for a while now. A recent blog post at The Thrifty Chicks (one of my favourite blogs) called Ever Been Claimed made me feel inspired to finally write it. 

Living on a frugal budget means looking beyond material possessions in order to find fulfillment, inspiration and joy.  The frugal life requires more attention to “natural highs” that come from natural beauty and the many joyous experiences found in simple moments.  When I read in Tracey McBride’s book, Frugal Luxuries (Tracey also writes a blog called Frugal Luxuries by the Season) that random acts of kindness could be considered a frugal luxury, it inspired me to look out for such inspiring, heart-warming moments, and savour them as if they were precious gifts.

It has also made me pause with gratitude to think of the random acts of kindness I’ve been a recipient of.  There have been a few spectacular ones, but only one that really had a major impact on my life.

It happened in January, 2008.  Josh and I had been hoping to get a kitten for months, but hadn’t found the right opportunity.  We’d found some kittens we loved at a vet clinic in the summer, but were too far down on the waiting list, and the kittens were taken by someone else.  Finally, though, Josh came home one evening with great excitement: he’d found us a kitten, and she was beautiful.  It was through a local adoption, facilitated by a pet store.  The next night, after work, we decided to go and get her.  Unfortunately, the pet store was quite far north of where we lived in the city, and the weather was terrible.  The alleyway, where we parked our car, was full of snow and ice.  We had to dig our way out, and defrost the car.  The driving was terrible.  After only going a few blocks we knew we wouldn’t make it in time before they closed, so we vowed to go the next day.

We did make it to the pet store the next day. I walked in, took one look at the adorable kitten, and was sold.  She was perfect.  Her colours were gorgeous, and Josh had already told me that the pet store owners had said she had a lovely temperament. I knew I wanted her.

But this was all from the sidelines, watching as she was cradled in another woman’s arms. I couldn’t wait for my chance to hold her. That is, until I heard the woman say, “I’ll take her.”

I couldn’t believe it! If only we’d left earlier the night before! If only the weather had been better! If only we had covered parking! If only…

My eyes filled with tears and I walked swiftly out of the pet store, not wanting to cry in public.

The woman chased me out of the pet store a few minutes later, still holding the kitten, saying,”If you want her, you can take her. I have an English bull dog at home anyway.”  If I really wanted her, she was mine.  

I couldn’t believe it! The woman actually gave up a potential addition to her family, just to make me, a total stranger, happy.  I happily accepted the kitten, thanked the woman, and from that moment on, had someone new and special become a part of my life.

Butternut and I have a very special bond.  She purrs when I get home, licks my face, sleeps next to me at night, and reserves all of these special treatments just for me - no one else is shown quite so much love.  (Weelll, occassionally my sister, but we are twins, so Butternut probably just gets confused!)

Butternut loves participating in my crafts, watching me while I cook, and snuggling at night.  She is incredibly affectionate, very playful and gets into everything.  She’s not aloof like cats can be - she shows me a great deal of attention and love. She’s certainly been important to me during the difficult experiences I’ve had in the last 1.5 years, such as unemployment, illness, and most recently, a break up. (I got full custody.) She makes me smile everyday. It’s like she was meant to be my cat!

I sure wish I could thank that woman who gave me one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given!

Please share - what is the greatest random act of kindness that you’ve ever received, witnessed, or given to someone else?