RAPID CITY, S.D. — The rocking chair sat empty for nearly ten years.
It used to be Mavis’s favorite place. Every evening, she and her husband would sit on their front porch, side by side, talking about the day while the sun dipped behind the hills. They would wave to neighbors, sip tea, and listen to the world slow down.
When he passed away, she stopped going outside.
The chair stayed. But it grew quiet. The cushion faded, the paint chipped, and no one ever came to sit beside her. The porch that once held so much life became just another quiet place in the neighborhood.
“I didn’t think anyone would care if I was out there or not,” Mavis said.
She lives alone now, on a quiet block in Rapid City. Years passed. Families came and went. Most waved from a distance. No one really stopped to say hello.
Then, on a warm Thursday afternoon, Mavis opened her front door, dusted off the old chair, and brought out a second one. She didn’t know why. She just felt like maybe, someone might sit with her.
She didn’t expect much. But someone did notice.
A little girl from next door, holding a melting popsicle, walked up and asked, “Can I sit with you?” Mavis smiled and nodded. They talked about flowers, puppies, and her favorite kind of candy. The next day, the girl came back and brought her older brother.
Then came a neighbor with two cold sodas. Another brought a folding chair. Someone turned on music. What had been a lonely porch became a quiet gathering place.
Now, just before dinner each day, people begin drifting toward the porch. Kids ride bikes. Teenagers wave. A young dad pulls up in his truck and stops to chat for a few minutes. Mavis, once forgotten, is now the heart of the block.
Dana, a mom from across the street, wipes away tears when she talks about it.
“My daughter didn’t even know her name a month ago. Now she calls her porch grandma. This has changed everything.”
Mavis still rocks in the same chair each afternoon, with the second one always ready.
“Sometimes people don’t need much,” she said. “Just to be seen. Just to know someone is waiting.”
Have you witnessed or experienced a moment of kindness?
Please send in yours to thedailygood@rapidcitypost.com.
Because even the smallest good can spark something big.–
