A little random act of kindness

Written By Dr Pene Schmidt

Last week I had one of those days. You know the ones when everything seems to go wrong. One thing after another. In the big scheme of things they were just little things - but all the little things combined did enough dipping from my bucket to leave it feeling completely empty. I sometimes think that as women we can spread ourselves a little thin - trying to juggle multiple roles and tasks. It’s little wonder our buckets sometimes empty.

But I want to share with you how one little random act of kindness filled my bucket from empty to overflowing in an instant.

It was nearing 5 o’clock and as I walked through the doors of the post office my mind was a complete blur. I thought about all the things I still had to do. I replayed all the things that had gone wrong in my day, and I worried about things beyond my control. Let’s just say I was feeling a little (or maybe even a lot) overwhelmed. Suddenly, I heard the Postmaster say to me “Oh hello - did you know there’s a parcel here for you?”

“For me?! I replied completely surprised “Are you sure?”I added.

“Yes” he said passing me a big black box addressed to me.

As I left the post office my curiosity couldn’t be contained and I ripped open the black paper on one end of the box. I had no idea what on earth it could be! When suddenly I saw the words Lavosh. Lavosh bites!!!! Instantly I felt a big smile - you know the kind that makes your eyes crinkle at the corners - and in that instant I felt my bucket filling!

You see, everyone at the posii HQ’s knows how much I love Lavosh bites. Through lockdown they became our Friday night staple on our platters. And they very quickly became a household favorite. I’d written a post during one of the lockdowns about Savouring - and had mentioned my love of Lavosh. But there was actually more to these little pieces of delicious flat bread that I’d felt a close affinity with - it was the story behind them.

I’m someone who loves stories, and I often find myself googling brands to find out more about them. I knew the story behind Lavosh bites because it’s written on the side of their box. But I’d also done my fair share of reading articles about them. I knew that Kurrajong Kitchens was founded by a husband and wife team. I knew that as a business they were “values” driven. And I knew that the co-founder Karen Lebsanft had lived with grief from a very young age (11 months) after her father’s death.

Above all, I knew that Karen was a passionate advocate of women in business “backing themselves”. This is what I needed yesterday - to be reminded of the many women who have stayed true to their vision, values and beliefs in business. As I stood there with the box in my arms, I was reminded of Karen’s words - almost as if she was whispering them in my ear “stay true to your knitting, stay strong and back yourself”.

So on what had been- by all accounts- a dreadful day - I suddenly felt incredibly energised, excited and buoyed by my unexpected parcel. Thank you @kurrajonglavosh, Serotonin and Oxytocin! We know that kindness reduces anxiety and stress - and on this occasion it certainly did. On the way home, I dropped a couple of boxes to my parents, to my friends down the road and also to my neighbour. And of course the Posii HQ! See the thing about kindness is its ripple effect. One act of kindness can create a domino effect and improve the day of dozens of people.

As I said, my bucket went from being empty to completely full. I returned home to enjoy a platter - to step out of all the demands of the day to day - to simply pause, savour and recalibrate. To feel incredibly lucky. To back myself.