Mr. Wingo, His Dog, & a Bouquet

Kindness has a tendency to be an indistinguishable virtue in this world…if you are not looking for it, and not open to seeing it. Witnessing random acts of kindness is a truly gift bestowed upon us for no other reason than the person felt compelled to be kind, to share their love through a gesture. A pure, intentional act of kindness costs nothing, but can mean a great deal to those that receive from this one small gesture. Let me tell you a little story about a man, his dog and a bouquet.

I was recently shooting a model call on a walking path, when a man and his dog approached. We were taking up the whole path, and as we were moving to make space, my client was very excited, very hopeful that she would be able to pet the dog. Upon stopping and permissing us all to pet his dog, we learned this man’s name is Chester Wingo, and his pupper’s name is Brin(I apologize for the potential misspelling). Mr. Wingo and Brin are very kind and friendly, so I asked if he would mind if I took their photo. I was delighted when he agreed and we snapped a few shots.

Mr. Wingo and Brin walked away and continued on the path, we all returned to our shoot. As time progressed, we could see Chester and Brin winding through the tall overgrowth, returning our way. The closer the pair got, the more we could see Mr. Wingo was carrying something in his hand. As he and Brin arrived at our destination, he handed my client a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers that he picked along his walk. I was blown away that Chester would take the time on his personal walk, to gather and make something so beautiful to gift to my client. I could tell that she was also greatly affected by his act of kindness, and that she cherished the simplistic beauty of the bouquet.

When I photographed Chester and Brin, I asked if he was on Facebook and if I could friend request him. He granted his consent for that as well, and today, I want to share this beautiful story of the meeting of strangers, a dog and bouquet of flowers. While the occurrence was truly a random encounter, the act of kindness from a stranger was one of the most moving and genuine things I have seen in a while. It was very restorative, and probably doesn’t surprise those of you that know Chester well. Thank you, Mr. Wingo, for sharing your love and kindness to a few random strangers that day on the path. You are very appreciated.