Random Acts of Kindness

in #story7 years ago (edited)

Photo by Ed Yourdon

Some get adrenaline from driving while drunk. I get adrenaline from drying the tears of a stranger and making her smile.

I'm on the train, returning from work. A girl sits, three rows of chairs in front of me, facing me. She's not pretty but looks happy.

I try to empty my monkey mind without success. I think about thinking too much! And then I think of ways to stop thinking, just to realize that I'm thinking again...

I notice she puts on her sunglasses, even though the sun is setting behind her. I look at her again - her chin is trembling; she slightly nods horizontally; she dries her right cheek with the back of her hand - she's crying.

Two men are sitting right in front of her. They don't notice her. A woman is checking her Facebook, although she doesn't have any updates. She doesn't notice her. A timid risk-averse guy sitting three rows behind is thinking about a dozen things. He notices her and he knows he has to do something.

The train is arriving at my station. Is she really crying? Looks like it. Should I ask if she needs help? No, that's way too open-ended. She has headphones, she won't hear me. I need a paper and a pen, but I don't have none. The train is stopping...

I quickly take out my outdated mobile phone, create a new SMS, and simply write: "Anima-te" (Portuguese for "Cheer up"). I softly touch her shoulder and show her the phone's screen. She looks up, smiles, and nods.

Made my day. And probably hers too.


This post was originally published at my personal blog. There's more where this came from :)

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