An elderly lady stood on the corner of the street with a basket full of the brightest red blooms I had ever seen. Intrigued, I went to her.
“Good morning, granny. May I see your flowers?”
She smiled and tilted her basket to me, exposing the roses in all their brilliant colors.
"One dollar a stem, if you please. A dozen for ten-they'll bundle with ease." "I'll take the lot, and have no fear. Here is your money-I wish you good cheer!"
I took the basket from her hands, smiling at the tears glistening in her eyes. She hugged me before wrapping her ragged shawl around her shoulders and disappearing into the bustle of the city, leaving me with a basket of roses and a purpose.
The waitress sighed as she picked up another plate of half-eaten food. The long hours for minimum pay were wearing on her, and she wished for the millionth time to find a way out. As she uncovered the tip, a flash of red caught her eye. On top of the money was the reddest rose she had ever seen, and it had a note attached. She carefully set her plates down as she read:
"Please don't let life get you down,
Or take your smile away.
I appreciate what you do,
Here's a rose to brighten your day."
The waitress gently tucked the rose and note into her apron, smiling for the first time that week. Maybe, just maybe, life wasn’t so bad after all.
The young couple was fighting outside the apartment building over some small issue that had finally exploded. Communication was nonexistent, and the young man finally had enough and turned to leave. When he reached his car, he found a dozen red roses taped to the hood with a note. It said:
"Never let your angry words
Live past the light of day.
Use these roses to amend
And say what you need to say."
The young man considered throwing the whole thing away, but something about the poem stuck with him. Sighing, he took the poem’s advice and brought the roses back into the apartment building, hoping to salvage his relationship with the bright reminder of love.
A teenage girl cried alone on a bus stop bench. Her boyfriend had just ended their three-year relationship, and she was heartbroken. Reaching down to grab a tissue from her bag, she felt something sharp poke her finger. It was a bright red rose, and it had a note tied to its stem. She wiped her eyes as she read it:
"I do not know the pain you feel
But your tears I plainly see
Here's a rose to remind you that
There's plenty of fish in the sea."
The girl looked around for her mysterious admirer, but there was no one at the bus stop but her. Smelling the rose reminded her of her grandmother’s house, so she wiped her tears, grabbed her bag, and began walking to the one place she knew would bring her comfort.
The doorbell rang, and the gentleman put down his crossword puzzle and went to open it. Instead of a person, he found fifty of the brightest roses inside a cheap vase on his doorstep. There was a note underneath it, and he placed the roses on a counter before opening it. It said:
"Fifty special roses to celebrate the day
You married your blushing bride.
Fifty years of memories to brighten up your world.
Let them be your guide."
The gentleman had to wipe a tear from his wrinkled face as he placed the note beside the roses. Grabbing his coat, he took them to his car and transported them across town before parking and taking them to a bright white headstone in the middle of a cemetery. He laid the roses on the grave, kissed the headstone, and sat there as he remembered the fifty wonderful years he’d spent with the love of his life.
I spread my roses all around To make the city smile. These small acts of kindness were Done with a sense of style, Though it took all of my time And some money to perform I would never take it back, For it should become the norm. We should never take for granted The kindness that we spread. How many lives would we touch If we focused on others instead? Go out now into the world And find kindness to disperse! Be it roses or a home-cooked meal, Or a lovely written verse, No matter what kind you spread- You keep the world from getting worse!
