It's been a long time since my last published post. I say "published" because quite a few drafts have accumulated since then. A couple of them were almost published and for reasons still unknown to me, I decided to keep them safe in the drafts folder. Meanwhile, school work has also been piling up and I was forced to take a break from blogging. However, a small act of kindness that I witnessed a couple of weeks ago just had to be blogged about. I've been wanting to blog about little acts of kindness for a long time now. After that incident, I thought "why not now?". We humans have this tendency to focus on and make a big deal out of mishaps and unfortunate incidents, however trivial they might be. Why don't we have the same attitude towards all the positive things that happen? So I decided to write down this blog post as a celebration of kindness. I'd love to hear about little acts of kindness that have inspired you as well! Do drop them in as comments.
The inspiration behind this post came about a couple of weekends ago. I was at Washington D.C with my family at the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The blossoms were in full bloom that weekend and so was the crowd. A friend, my sister and I were at a highly-crowded public restroom. We were standing by the sinks when my sister pricked her finger (she claims the pin attacked her) and it started bleeding. None of us had first aid and we were trying to make do with paper napkins when a woman standing nearby by noticed us. She told us that she had a first aid kit. Being tourists, most people were in a hurry to leave. In spite of that, she took the time out to "hunt" for the first aid kit in her bag. She gave my sister a band-aid and left with a smile. We were all surprised at the little show of kindness from a total stranger. That incident left us feeling warm and happy.
When you think about it, a stranger being kind to you brings more joy than the same gesture from a person you know. An expression of kindness from someone you know isn't extraordinary. Yet, the same expression from someone who has never met you or known you, is definitely special. Over the past couple of years, I've made it a point to make note of every instance of kindness expressed by a stranger. Keeping them in mind reminds me to pass on that act and that spirit. Last year in December, I was at the metro before sunrise one cold Monday morning on the way to an early morning exam. On reaching the metro I realized that the next train would leave a little too late for me to get to my exam on time. I had two exams that day; I knew that reaching late for a final exam would be extremely unfortunate and that worry probably showed on my face. I was standing there worried when a complete stranger walked over to me and told me in the nicest, most grandfatherly way that another train would leave in a few minutes and that I need not worry. I would still have gotten on the train that the stranger mentioned even if he hadn't told me about it. Yet, that gesture of kindness lit up my whole day. I just breezed through both exams that day! A few months before this incident, a group of really nice people at the public library found me my lost text book when I'd given up hopes of finding it (story here). The thing about kind gestures is that they're not only capable of brightening up your day or bringing about joy, but they're also contagious. They make you want to pass that kindness on.
Now, here's an act of kindness from a complete stranger that has been bringing smiles to my face for the last four years every time I think of it. I had participated in a city-wide inter school talent competition when I was in the 12th grade. One of the stages of the competition involved an elocution competition where we had less than 30 minutes to prepare a speech on a random topic and speak in front of an audience. It was definitely nerve wrecking yet I felt quite confident when I started speaking. The audience included my mom, friends and teachers, all of whom later told me that I did well. But right before we left the venue, a woman I've never seen before walked up to me and told me that I spoke really well. Of all the compliments I received that day, that woman's words were the most memorable, just as memorable as the prize I won for that speech!
Over the years, what I've learned about "gestures of kindness towards strangers" is that everyone is going through their own set of ups and downs in their lives. Sometimes neither their faces nor their actions can give you hints about what they're going through. Yet, a small gesture from a stranger, a gesture as small as a smile can turn things around. All of us have those bad days, days when everything seems bleak. It is on those day when we desperately look around for something to cheer us up. It is on those days that we're in need of those smiles and kind words. When the bus driver you barely know, greets you with a "good morning", when the random stranger at the airport helps you with your super heavy luggage, when an unknown person in the audience walks up to you to tell you how good your performance was, your day just brightens up and a permanent smile is plastered on to your face. It is those seemingly little gestures that I cherish, appreciate and hope to pass on.
P.S - Do watch this beautiful video about kindness towards strangers!
The inspiration behind this post came about a couple of weekends ago. I was at Washington D.C with my family at the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The blossoms were in full bloom that weekend and so was the crowd. A friend, my sister and I were at a highly-crowded public restroom. We were standing by the sinks when my sister pricked her finger (she claims the pin attacked her) and it started bleeding. None of us had first aid and we were trying to make do with paper napkins when a woman standing nearby by noticed us. She told us that she had a first aid kit. Being tourists, most people were in a hurry to leave. In spite of that, she took the time out to "hunt" for the first aid kit in her bag. She gave my sister a band-aid and left with a smile. We were all surprised at the little show of kindness from a total stranger. That incident left us feeling warm and happy.
When you think about it, a stranger being kind to you brings more joy than the same gesture from a person you know. An expression of kindness from someone you know isn't extraordinary. Yet, the same expression from someone who has never met you or known you, is definitely special. Over the past couple of years, I've made it a point to make note of every instance of kindness expressed by a stranger. Keeping them in mind reminds me to pass on that act and that spirit. Last year in December, I was at the metro before sunrise one cold Monday morning on the way to an early morning exam. On reaching the metro I realized that the next train would leave a little too late for me to get to my exam on time. I had two exams that day; I knew that reaching late for a final exam would be extremely unfortunate and that worry probably showed on my face. I was standing there worried when a complete stranger walked over to me and told me in the nicest, most grandfatherly way that another train would leave in a few minutes and that I need not worry. I would still have gotten on the train that the stranger mentioned even if he hadn't told me about it. Yet, that gesture of kindness lit up my whole day. I just breezed through both exams that day! A few months before this incident, a group of really nice people at the public library found me my lost text book when I'd given up hopes of finding it (story here). The thing about kind gestures is that they're not only capable of brightening up your day or bringing about joy, but they're also contagious. They make you want to pass that kindness on.
Now, here's an act of kindness from a complete stranger that has been bringing smiles to my face for the last four years every time I think of it. I had participated in a city-wide inter school talent competition when I was in the 12th grade. One of the stages of the competition involved an elocution competition where we had less than 30 minutes to prepare a speech on a random topic and speak in front of an audience. It was definitely nerve wrecking yet I felt quite confident when I started speaking. The audience included my mom, friends and teachers, all of whom later told me that I did well. But right before we left the venue, a woman I've never seen before walked up to me and told me that I spoke really well. Of all the compliments I received that day, that woman's words were the most memorable, just as memorable as the prize I won for that speech!
Over the years, what I've learned about "gestures of kindness towards strangers" is that everyone is going through their own set of ups and downs in their lives. Sometimes neither their faces nor their actions can give you hints about what they're going through. Yet, a small gesture from a stranger, a gesture as small as a smile can turn things around. All of us have those bad days, days when everything seems bleak. It is on those day when we desperately look around for something to cheer us up. It is on those days that we're in need of those smiles and kind words. When the bus driver you barely know, greets you with a "good morning", when the random stranger at the airport helps you with your super heavy luggage, when an unknown person in the audience walks up to you to tell you how good your performance was, your day just brightens up and a permanent smile is plastered on to your face. It is those seemingly little gestures that I cherish, appreciate and hope to pass on.
P.S - Do watch this beautiful video about kindness towards strangers!
