The Mystery of the Towel on the Toilet!

I was in a hurry.

Jumped in the shower. My mind already scrolling through all I needed to do next.

Just before getting out, I remembered what I’d forgotten.

A towel.

I pulled back the curtain, about to yell for my wife, Carolyn, to come rescue me.

And there it was.

On the toilet seat.

Freshly laundered. Folded. Waiting.

I don’t think I gasped on the outside, but inside I froze for a split second as a mini cyclone of emotion spun through me.

‘What was that?’

It lasted only a second or two, but long enough to alert me to something I didn’t have words for.

The mystery wasn’t where the towel came from or who had put it there.

That was obvious.

The mystery was what happened inside me when I saw it.

Surprise, yes. But something deeper.

I felt… considered? Valued? Seen?

Carolyn had thought of me before I thought to ask.

She had stepped into my hurried little world and taken care of something so small I would never have imagined it could leave a mark.

I stood there looking at a towel… feeling loved.

There’s something about love that notices. That pays attention to the ordinary details of another person’s life.

I’m still thinking about that folded towel. And the mystery of how such a little thing could mean so much.

HOW TO STAGE YOUR OWN COUP OF KINDNESS

1. Notice the little things. Pay attention to what would make someone’s day a little easier. The ordinary stuff is a good place to start.

2. Get there first. Think one step ahead. What might they need that they haven’t thought to ask for yet?

3. Make your move. Leverage the element of surprise. Fold the towel. Make the coffee. Scrape the windshield. Do the small thing… and let them discover they’ve been thought of.

FUEL & SPARK

Q: When was the last time you surprised someone with kindness that had absolutely nothing in it for you?

Q: What are some details you used to notice, but have stopped noticing?

Q: What small, ordinary frustration does someone you love face every day that you could quietly eliminate?

Q: What is one small, unexpected act of kindness you could do in the next 24 hours that would leave someone thinking, "Wow. I was thought of!"?

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