Acts of Random Kindness

 

I have a simmering anger… (Anger is a harsh word; let’s use annoyance.)

I have a simmering annoyance every time I pull my car into a retail parking lot.

As I type this, I realize it might sound like I am gearing up for a rant on the misuse of handicap parking spots. That is not the case.  I assume that if someone uses handicap parking spaces, they probably have the appropriate tag because they completed the required paperwork, and a decision was made to provide that accommodation. I am not a doctor and am not qualified to challenge that decision.

Parking lots are temporary storage areas for cars, trucks, motorcycles, excavators, monster trucks, and dump trucks. (Please mentally delete the last three on the list. I have re-watched the Blippi vehicle episode with Evan far too many times.)

So, back to my annoyance. As I circle the orderly rows, I often spot an opening only to find that it is already being used by a shopping cart. Or several shopping carts.  My annoyance is triggered by the casual abandonment of these wheeled shopping tools.

Most larger retail parking lots have several cart corrals. The assumption is that we will empty our carts into our vehicles, then we will return the carts to the corrals, where employees will take them back to the store for use by the next shopper. I have done research and found that a double corral is about $500. Your retailer has invested in these spaces to prevent carts from rolling away and damaging cars. And so that you don’t take up a parking space when you leave your cart parked illegally.

Since there appear to be no “parking tickets” being given for these infractions, I have chosen to do my part to remedy the issue. 

Several years ago, our church had a focus on service. We called it ARK (Acts of Random Kindness). Members were encouraged to open their eyes to ways they could help others during the week, then were invited to write those acts on forms each Sunday. Some worked in the food pantry, some took food to homebound friends, while others assembled bags for the homeless. I organized parking lots.

Each time I shopped, I would gather carts and corral them, freeing parking spots for vehicles carrying shoppers. I didn’t have a vest or one of those fancy cart-gathering machines. I didn’t get enough steps in to become a poster woman for elderly exercise. No staff person ever looked at me with gratitude. And no shopper ever nodded with a sigh of satisfaction when they were able to park readily. But I did get to fill out a form every week to add to the other more impressive ministry stories.

The year of the ARK program was long ago, but my commitment to parking lot rehabilitation remains. This morning, I stopped at Kroger to pick up a few items. I moved several carts on my way in and several more on my way out.

You’re welcome.