Page 76 - July ONLINE VERSION

Kindness Kicking In
Sydney Schoone
Have you ever seen someone stuck in a moment of
sadness, panic or grief, and just somehow knew with-
in you that you should help them? Whether it was to
provide a sense of comfort, camaraderie or even just
a presence to be around, to listen to their hardship
and let them know that everything will eventually
be, okay? That instinct within you was your kindness
kicking in - and that's one of life's greatest gifts.
Kindness is about doing the right thing in the mo-
ment it's presented, without hesitation, or needing
praise and accolades for what you've done. There's no
need for a reward, or even a "thank you" - you sim-
ply help. For me personally, I think of it as a sense of
"I've been in their shoes, and I know they need help,
so I'll do what I can to assist them." I've always felt
this innate need to serve others (and perhaps that is
some admitted childhood trauma of "you'd better do
what I tell you to do" resurfacing, but I've been trying
to mold that into something positive), so when I see
someone in need, I'm going to do my best to help.
I didn't have the best time growing up. Making
friends was difficult, as the kids in school bullied me
for nearly everything: my parents being divorced, my
love of anime and reading, being taller than everyone
else, even having asthma. Anything about me, my life
or my character was a target. I didn't feel much love
coming from my peers, and I felt alone and scared
for most of my life. I'd like to think that my empathy
stems from that - I see someone dealing with what
I've dealt with, so it drives me to assist them. I never
want anybody to have to continue to feel the way I've
felt.
While I didn't feel the love from my classmates, I cer- tly scooped the soft, downy baby into it. Once he was
tainly felt it from our household pets. We had many
dogs and cats over the years, and each of them were
so cuddly, cute and comforting - especially my baby
girl, Snuggles. She's a long-haired gray cat with bright
green eyes, who is so sweet and talkative. Any time
I have a bad day, she is always there to jump into my
lap and start purring, letting me know that every-
thing is alright. There have been plenty of times when
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told me they either wouldn't accept wildlife, or they
I've been crying or in distress, and she has come to
lay next to me and rest her head on my leg, looking
up with those beautiful eyes, with what I can only
assume is empathy shining in them. She makes me
feel that whatever negative thing is happening will
turn around and work itself out. I truly believe that
animals reciprocate the kindness we show to them.
In 2017, I was working part time in the garden-
ing center of a national hardware chain store. One
morning, I was working in the heat of the summer
loading pallets of pebbles and mulch for customers
to purchase into the metal bays outdoors. As I was
pushing a pallet of red mulch into place, I heard a
very faint sound that I initially thought was a whistle
coming from the bay. I took a look to the left of the
pallet, where I located a tiny baby robin laying on
the ground. Birds often built their nests in the metal
rafters above the bays, so it was common to find baby
birds here and there that would eventually make their
ways back into their nests. I figured the same would
happen for this one, however as I got closer, I noticed
one of his wings was bent and not held close to his
body like the other was - it was broken.
My immediate thought was "I need to help him", and
then I could feel the kindness kicking in. I knew I
had read somewhere that you shouldn't touch a baby
bird if it falls out of its nest, but with the broken wing
and his teeny tiny chirps for help, I felt that I couldn't
just leave him there. I called over one of my manag-
ers to see what I should do. He told me that it was no
use, and I should probably just throw the robin in the
trash. I wouldn't stand for any of that! I found a small
cardboard box and placed a soft towel in it, then gen-
in the box, he quieted down a bit, and I put him in a
safe location where nobody would touch him until
my shift was over.
Management knew what I was doing, so thankfully
they let me take a break and make a few calls to local
vets and shelters to see if there was somewhere I
could take him. To my surprise, every place I called
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as it took wing to the sky. I can't say for sure whether
were at capacity for injured birds, and to try some-
where else. I was beginning to fear I wouldn't find
anywhere to take him, when finally, a wildlife center
two hours away from my home said they would be
happy to. I felt instant relief, and joy that I would be
able to keep helping this baby robin. I told my co-
workers the good news, and they were excited for us.
They asked me if I had picked out a name for him -
which, I hadn't thought to name the robin, but it was
around lunchtime that day and I was feeling hungry,
so I decided on Macaroni.
Once my shift was over, I loaded Macaroni into my
car and drove home to pick up my younger sister,
who was very much down for assisting a bird I found
in my place of employment's garden center, so we hit
the road! On the way up, we did periodic check-ins
on Macaroni. He was curled up in the towel with his
eyes closed, breathing softly; I think he was sleeping
off the pain. I wished I could have found him a place
sooner. My sister and I were excited to get him the
help he needed.
Two hours later, we finally arrived at the wildlife cen- ly as it always does: "It was the right thing to do."
ter. I had never actually been to one before, but this
one was a lovely wooden plank building with beauti-
ful wildflowers and grasses lining it, a little retaining
pond nearby, and a charming sign out front letting
us know all animals were welcome. We went inside
and the man at the desk had me fill out a form stating
what we were bringing in and why. When he read it,
he looked at me and said, "Not many people would
go so out of their way for a baby robin." He took
Macaroni and handed him off to one of the medics,
and we went back to my car and drove home.
Not long after giving Macaroni over to the center,
the center gave me email updates on his condition.
His wing was in fact broken, and it turns out that if
he was just left by the mulch palettes, he likely would
have died from his injuries. They were able to help
Macaroni make a full recovery and released him back
to the wild after a month. A few weeks shortly after,
I was sitting in my parent's old backyard relaxing in
the sun, when I saw a beautiful, red-breasted robin
perched on one of the wooden posts that sectioned
off my parent's garden. It had a flower petal in its
beak, and it happened to drop it on our garden table
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it was Macaroni, but I won't discount the possibility,
and I kept the petal until it crumbled from age.
I think about this experience, and what the man at
the front desk said often; "Not many people would go
so out of their way for a baby robin." Maybe he was
right, maybe not (although I'd like to think that most
people would hopefully take their time to help an
injured animal). I just know that I had to help Maca-
roni, and fortunately he was able to make it out of his
hardship. What if I were in his position, and needed
someone to help me? What if nobody did? Where
would the world be without simple acts of kindness?
Kindness is something that can be activated at any
time, and I truly hope that people consider doing so
more often. With that in mind, there are still people
today that ask, "Why did you it?" when it comes to
helping others and displaying a certain level of kind-
ness. It seems funny to me that someone would even
ask that, as it should be commonplace to be kind
- treat others the way you would like to be treated,
right? However, for me, the answer comes as natural-
Sydney Schoone
Kenosha,
Wisconsin
Sydney has a BA
in English and a
Creative Writing
Certificate from the
University of
Wiscosin-Parkside.
She loves to write
poetry and short
personal essays. In her free time you
can catch her experimenting with
makeup artistry and cuddling with
her cat.
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