Last week was my first flying experience since pre-covid. And although I’ve not been out much the last year, I wasn’t really looking for interaction or even up for people watching. Yet I had a couple of airport instances that made an impression on me. I’ll tell you about one now.
I was in a waiting area having just ordered a sandwich. A young gal…I’d say in her upper 20’s, was in front of me also waiting to pick up food when a grandmotherly type came up to her. They had a brief conversation in Spanish and the elderly lady went to find a seat at the younger gals direction. At least, that’s what I’m assuming based on the exchange. As soon as the elderly lady was out of earshot the younger gal turns to me and quietly says “she is so lost”. I’m assuming a lot of things at this point and judging right and left in my head…cuz really, who doesn’t …thoughts like…how nice of them to travel together, but that was a little disrespectful…to…I guess my patience could be wearing thin under those conditions as well… many thoughts in an instant. However, the young gal quickly followed with “no, she is really lost (I’m wondering what facial expression I may have been wearing). I don’t even know her” she continued. “She just came up to me and asked for help. She even gave me her purse to carry”, as she held up her arm as if I was judging her selection of purses. Again, I briefly tried to figure out my facial expression…though I wasn’t judging the purse selection at all. “I told her we’ll figure it out while we eat”, she continued.
I often don’t know what to say when things unfold suddenly before me. I wanted to say something encouraging. “She trusts you”, I uttered the obvious. No, that wasn’t enough. “That’s very kind of you”. There…that was really it. Not the greatest revelation. But man, what a dose of what we all need, and maybe haven’t been exposed to for so long. Kindness. Strangers helping strangers. A news item for the evening telecast? Hardly. But I was glad to see an episode of kindness unfold right in front of me.
