Not all days are the same and whether you want to believe it or not, even I have my moments of feeling low… I’m human after all, ain’t I? And Thursday the 12th of July was such a day….You see, the previous morning my gym instructor SAS had taken me through a killer program and needless to say, when I woke up on Thursday morning my entire body was screaming at me to the point of feeling feverish, but I still had to go to the gym…. Yep, I know; No pain, no gain….. :-(

Besides the pain in my body my teenage son has been driving me insane lately; he feels he is too grownup to listen to his mommy ….Sigh! That's a story for another day, but to cut a long story short, the pain in my body and a conversation I’d had the previous evening with my son acted as catalysts towards making me feel low this Thursday morning.

All that not withstanding, I still went to the gym and though the morning workout somehow helped me, I was still deeply in thought as I was driving towards the office from the gym. On this particular day however, I decided to use a short cut I’d always been meaning to try out but had never had the guts to do so… call it fear of the unknown. And it was while on this less travelled road that I had an experience that changed my day!

Allow me to digress a bit, but it’s all for your benefit…..for those who know me, they will tell you I love animals, especially cats and dogs. In fact at home, I have a dog I call my furry son; his name is Pancho, one very spoilt dog who makes me feel like he wants to talk to me sometimes. Anyway, Pancho’s story will be told another day….(maybe). So, as I was saying, while on this “panya-route” like my fellow Kenyans would call it, the most amazing thing happened.

As I was about to make a left turn somewhere along the way, I saw this big, cute, furry Golden Retriever being walked by a small girl up ahead. The sight of this dog instantly excited me and I decided there and then to drive up to them and talk to the dog….And the girl of course. I said hello to the girl and asked her whether I could pat the dog’s head. Having granted me permission to do this, I decided to open my door so that I could reach the dog easily; and that’s when it happened! As soon as I opened my door, the dog stood on its twos and hugged me!!!! If you are not a dog lover, I don’t expect you to understand why this excited me so much, but trust me it did, and that simple gesture from a strange dog called Bora, made my day. I thanked the girl (I forgot to ask her name) for allowing me to pat the dog (whose name she told me is Bora) and Bora himself for the unexpected hug. Then off I drove with a lighter heart than I had ten minutes prior to this experience.

So, why do I consider this experience worth blogging about? The reason is simple; an unexpected act of kindness (from a Dog) made my day. He didn’t even know the impact his hug had on me, but forgetting this gesture is not happening soon for me. Now, how about you, what if you consciously decided to perform a random act of kindness to someone today? It could be a smile to a stranger; it could be sending a positive message to someone you have not spoken to in months; it could be buying that beggar you see daily some food and water; it could be paying bus fare for the passenger seated next to you in that bus/matatu/daladala; it could be paying a hospital bill or even school fees for someone who really is in need; etc, etc. The possibilities are endless but I can guarantee you the effects of your actions will linger in that person’s life forever.

As we start a new week, why not choose to put a smile on someone’s face every day? Your random act of kindness could actually save someone’s life….That someone could have been feeling so alone in this world and could even have been contemplating suicide…..you never know.

Remember, our fingerprints cannot be erased from the lives of those we have touched. Let’s spread positivity this week by touching someone’s heart in a unique way.