Its hard to think about how you can expand your horizons and become a better person every day. Some days you barely feel like getting out of bed or even talking to anyone, those days it is hard to imagine a world that has good in it. When your at your lowest moments you don't really think about being kind or how your attitude and mood affect those around you.
Today I saw something that to me was amazing. It wasn't anything spectacular and some people probably didn't even notice that it even happened. I will tell you one thing though, because I was able to witness this you are receiving a post from me about how the smallest act of kindness can literally change the world if not just the people you surround.
I began my morning by sleeping in as it is my day off from my job at Office Max. I woke up and checked my phone like I usually do every morning (because I believe in a good nights rest it is always on silent.) I had a text and a few other notifications that I checked as I awoke to being my Tuesday. I got up and did the dishes that were overflowing onto our counterspace even though we have two sinks. I than got dressed and ready to take Ashlee to class. Today I was planning on staying on campus to type up some things and not waste gas by driving back home and back over to campus again. As it is getting cold in Idaho it makes much more sense to take the bus transportation that ISU offers on a daily basis for traveling all over campus. I parked my car and began the bus journey..
I had my earbuds in and was listening to some music. It was mellow for two reasons, one I am in a sober mood this morning and second because I definitely don't remember the song I was listening to. The bus took its normal route and stopped at it's first stop at Reed gym (halfway between where I got on and needed to get off). I looked up to see who was getting on the bus and saw two students walking extremely slow in front of the bus. As my frustration built in hopes they would speed up their slow walk I saw another person crossing. A short older woman was walking across the street as well which I had not seen when I had first looked up. As she made her way to the curb to walk up it and make her way to the bus door no more than 3 feet away. The students who had previously been extremely annoying and making my bus journey more slow than it needed to be had turned around. And to my surprise the one young man helped the older woman up the curb and smiled at her then went back to his slow paced walk and kept going.
I suppose I wasn't prepared for such a small but large act of kindness. I put a label on those two students as annoying and inconsiderate before I even gave them a chance not to be. My judgement was flipped upside down in a split second and I was shocked. My focus drifted solely to that one student and I smiled as I felt his kindness reach far beyond him lending a helping hand. I'm not sure what the intent for me seeing this kind gesture this morning was, but I couldn't be more grateful for it. I now know that I indeed needed that reassurance that not all of the world is horrible. Not everyone is filled with hate in their heart and is to self absorbed to notice when things around them are different because of the way other's can be and act.
Well done young man. Well done.
