About Stephania Varalli
Stephania Varalli was sweetspot.ca’s first employee and is currently off on one of her many adventures (though thanks to her life motto of "seemed like a good idea at the time," she still has a myriad of stories archived to enjoy).
The Kindness of Strangers
that's what sv said canada
(May.04.09)
I'll start by setting the stage: It's 6PM on a Thursday. It feels like fall even though it's spring, and it has been raining for hours. I'm standing outside of a hair salon near Avenue and Bloor, my coif styled into long, perfect waves. It's the night of the Innovators' Ball, and I'm trying my best (by employing professional help) to pull off the theme of femme fatale. Unfortunately, my sex appeal is about to get soggy.
A girl walks past with a big golf umbrella, dressed in yoga gear. She gets about ten feet before turning around.
"Would you like my umbrella?"
"Pardon?"
"Your hair looks so nice. It will get ruined in the rain. It's just too pretty for that to happen. Take my umbrella."
Are you as shocked as I was? This girl has no idea who I am. It's pouring rain and she obviously has further to walk. And it's not like she was offering me a garbage bag on a stick - this was a nice big umbrella. I couldn't believe that somebody would do something so nice for a complete stranger.
I ended up turning her down; I'm not going to make a stranger walk in the cold rain so I can save the pretty. But the incident made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside that I had to share. Can you imagine how nice the world would be if we made charity and kindness a part of our daily lives?
I'd love to hear some or your own inspirational encounters with strangers, so please post your stories in the comments?
Thought that was sweet? Check out my blog on Playing For Change, featuring their amazing globally collaborative music video.