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Kindness is Contagious

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K Mark Schofer

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What’s the kindest thing someone has ever done for you?

The 191st Munich Oktoberfest takes place from September 19 to October 4, 2026, at the Theresienwiese in Munich, yes much of it takes place in September. I am not a huge fan, I am a big fan of October. I love this time of year.

Sorry for the interlude as I was staring out the window enjoying the onset of Autumn. It is nearly impossible to pick out a single act of kindness. Autumn is a simple act of kindness.

I guess I consider kindness a default in people.

I remember an early Winter afternoon many years ago and I had just run a 50k. I got home needing a warm hot bath. This girl I knew at the time brought me an Italian dish from a local deli. Here we are twenty years from then, cooking something other than spaghetti. She does not like spaghetti all that much.

Today we learned my exes mother is in the hospital. Our kids spend their precious time making sure see is okay. Which she is not. She is in her mid eighties, with cancer and stubborn. Still our son is traveling from Berlin to Ingelheim to do what he can. Max is one of the kinder people I have the pleasure of knowing. He happens to be my son. Kindness is contagious.

And the saddest act of kindness comes from Lenny in Of Mice and Men. It breaks my heart every time.

Lennie held out his hands pleadingly. “Give ’um to me, George. I’ll take ’um back. I didn’t mean no harm, George. Honest I didn’t. I jus’ wanted to pet ’um a little.”

One response to “Kindness is Contagious”

  1. vermavkv Avatar
    vermavkv

    What a beautiful and deeply human reflection on kindness. Your words remind us that kindness is often not found in grand gestures, but in simple, almost unnoticed acts—a warm meal after a long run, children caring for an aging parent, or a son travelling across cities simply because someone needs him.

    I especially loved the thought that “kindness is a default in people” and that “kindness is contagious.” Perhaps that is why the smallest acts can stay with us for decades. The story of the Italian dish, remembered twenty years later, is such a touching example.

I would love to hear you opinion as well

Hello,

I’m Mark

His friends observe Mark seems wired a little differently. Perhaps it’s more likely that noticing little things often missed by others is a relic of a quieter, simpler time. He has a way with words, which he refuses to let be hindered by sub-par typing skills. People have great stories to tell if you sit and listen.

A belief dear to Mark is that there is certain beauty in the world. You simply have to look for it.

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