The Kindness of Strangers

Today approximately 36,000 runners will take to the streets to run the Boston Marathon.  From Hopkinton to Boston, there will around 15,000 volunteers to make it all work.

Think about that for a minute, around 15k strangers giving up their day to hand out water and gatorade, rake cups and GU packs and such out of the road, provide medical services, link up runners with their families, and a million other chores to make sure those runners are able to go the distance.

Not to mention the folks that have been behind the scenes all year long leading up to this past weekend and today.  So many eyes will be on Boston today, that those strangers will be more than the kind helpers making it just a bit easier for the runners, they will be ambassadors representing the best of who we are as Bostonians (and beyond).  As you go forward today, please honor these runners and strangers by performing an act of kindness.  It can be as simple as holding the door for someone or buying a cup of coffee for the person behind you in line or something as important as giving a pint of blood for some stranger in need.

Then carry that feeling forward.  This world runs on the kindness of strangers and, as Eek the Cat always used to say, it never hurts to help.