a little kindness goes a long way

I had a really interesting and heartwarming experience at work today. A few weeks ago, a new client came in to consult with my boss for something, and I had to scan her driver's license while I was checking her in. I noticed that she pulled out this beautiful business-card holder, which she used to hold all her credit cards and identification as well. 

I said "oh wow, that's gorgeous! I keep seeing people come in with all these cool card-holders and I'm so jealous. Where did you get it?" Or something to that effect. She thanked me and said that she just got hers from amazon, and that there are all kinds there. 

I finished checking her in, told her I would look at some card holders online later, and thanked her for sharing that info with me, (for lack of better phrasing). (Of course, I forgot about it completely when I got home that evening). 

Fast forward to today, she comes in for another appointment. As soon as she walks up to the desk, she hands me three things. Two different sheets of paperwork that she had taken home with her the last time she was there, and a little envelope with something that felt like a tiny brick in it. She handed me the envelope and said "that's for you." And I said something like, "oh really? thank you!" and checked her in and led her back to the room my boss would be meeting her in. 

Guys. I opened the envelope when I got back to my desk and it was a BEAUTIFUL glossy black business-card holder with a pretty white 'birds on a wire' design. It was made out of some kind of smooth, lightweight metal. I went back to the meeting room and thanked her profusely for the gift. It was honestly so kind and unexpected, that alone just made my day. 

BUT WAIT! There's more! Later, when her appointment was finished and she was leaving, I thanked her again, and she said in a sort of embarrassed tone "I painted on it, so I don't know how long it'll last."
NO FREAKING WAY.
The gorgeous white 'birds on a wire' on the front of the card-holder, the ones I had thought were a professional design, were actually HAND-PAINTED.

This woman remembered a few throwaway comments about me wanting a cool card-holder from weeks ago, went online and bought one, took the time to paint a design on it, and then gave it to me the next time she came in for an appointment. 

It's moments like this that remind me how wonderful people can be. Despite being oftentimes cruel, selfish, and narrow-minded, we can also be really thoughtful and sweet if we want to. It was just such an "oh wow, I sort of forgot people can do stuff like this for each other" moment. Even if you don't know the person you're gifting something to, you can just do something nice for them for reason other than the fact that you can. I don't know. I felt very moved by that whole interaction today.