Unexpected Goodness in Philly

Unexpected Goodness: 

A Random Act of Kindness or Spontaneous Service 

that is Completely Surprising and Out of the Blue. 

Definition by ... Julie

Walking through the airport or the downtown streets of Philadelphia, one would not expect to be served by perfect strangers; but it happened, and it was delightful.

Example #1

As Sam and I were in the airport looking for our gate, I became confused about the direction we were going. I saw an airport employee so I quickly asked to make sure we were headed the right way. She kindly validated my concern and then told me where to turn up ahead. Cool - I can handle that. She was more swift on her feet than we, so she quickly disappeared. When we got to the designated "intersection", her statement to turn left didn't correspond with the signs. All of a sudden, this same lady came running towards us. She realized she had given the wrong direction and so she turned back in search of the couple from Utah to make sure we did not get deceived by her mis-information. 

We were delightedly stunned by her unexpected goodness. She had a desire to think of someone else before herself. She went out of her way to make sure we were headed the right way.

Example #2
The next day we were visiting the Liberty Bell in downtown Philly. Going through the security checkpoint, the man who was assigned to check our backpack, tugged at the zipper pull. It didn't budge. It had been caught in the backpack fabric and I had not taken the time to fix it. He spent the next two minutes fixing the zipper of our backpack. Once it was dislodged, he explained what he did and how to correct it if it happened again. He handed us the pack and sent us on our way.

Again, we were shocked. Usually the security people are ornery, herding you through like cattle, and frustrated by the smallest delay that holds up the line. Not so with this polite and kind agent. He saw a need and came to our rescue - even though it was just a stuck zipper pull. He provided some unexpected goodness!

Example #3

Minutes later, another security agent noticed Sam's visual impairment and went out of his way to talk with us. He told Sam the following, "Make sure you talk to the guard at the Liberty Bell when you get there. She will let you touch the Liberty Bell." Most people do not get that opportunity but because of his blindness, he would get the chance. That agent didn't need to go out of his way to tell us that. We could have observed the bell from behind the puffy-corded barrier, just like everyone else. But no, we received a chance of a lifetime because of some unexpected goodness.

Example #4
Being in Downtown Philadelphia, you MUST visit Independence Hall - the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. However, we arrived there in the late afternoon and all of the tickets for the tours had been dispersed. We were told of an express tour at the end of the day that one can wait in line for, but it was not the detailed tour we were looking for. Consigned to that option, we arrived early to stand in line so we could be one of the first to go through. Just as we came up to the designated place, the final tour of the day was entering the building. A ranger saw us standing back a bit and stated, "If you want to see Independence Hall, you better go now." He saw that we didn't have tickets in our hands, but he let us in anyway. We were able to see the full, guided tour after all. We were so thankful for his unexpected goodness.

Independence Hall - In the Distance

The Totally Awesome Liberty Bell

You have to touch the crack!!

Sam found his Philly Cheese!

We LOVED Valley Forge!!

Valley Forge: National Memorial Arch

Washington's Headquarters

Our "Honeymoon" Photo - Ask me about this pic if you want a funny story!

Today's Stick-to-it Tip: Tell your children about those moments of unexpected goodness. When they see how much it means to you, they are more likely to give some unexpected goodness to another.

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!