Eight years ago, I lived in a country that was completely shaken up like a jar of honey bees. I was a senior in high school, and before September 11, 2001, was probably concerned with silly things like what to wear to prom and what I would be doing the upcoming weekend.
Then the morning of September 11th came about, and opened our minds to a whole new level of worry and concern.
Young men I was to be graduating with began discussing enlisting in the military. That really brought it home. My friends had family members- brothers, even fathers- in the military already that immediately began readying themselves for whatever the future was to bring. It was a scary time.
And yet...amid the tortured hearts and broken families, beyond the thousands of lives lost and devastating destruction in our country's most fabulous city, there was a glimmer of beauty. People were kinder, gentler. Drivers were more courteous. I worked at a grocery store, and people just seemed to be more aware of one another. For the longest time, we were all walking around ignoring one another. We'd bump into each other on the sidewalk and hardly look up. We'd flip one another off while driving, and curse at one another. We stole, we killed, we hated. And I'm not saying all those things ended, but for awhile there we really all seemed to pull together as a country again, rather some big piece of land filled with strangers.
Is it twisted that I miss that? I'm obviously not saying I want tragedy to strike again, NO. But I do think its sad that it takes that level of shock to snap us back to kindness. I wish it wasn't that way. I wish we were all just a tad bit nicer, if for no other reason than that is just the way it should be.
A few weeks ago, I went to fill up my gas tank. I pulled into an available pump and went to slide my debit card. I then noticed there was already $5 pre-paid on the pump. This tiny act of kindness warmed my heart so much that I still smile, even now as I re-tell the story.
So today, I finally paid it forward. After dropping my son off at daycare, I went through a toll booth. I handed the operator $2- one for me, and one for the guy behind me. She smiled and I smiled back, and for the rest of the day I felt lighter. Yes, its only $1. But I don't know what that gentleman driving behind me was dealing with in his life. He may have been on the verge of giving up. Sometimes it just takes a little tiny act of goodness to bring you back.
I hope, readers, that you remember in your hearts that there are still good people in this world.
And you are one of them.
*** This blogger must credit her mother, Susan, for the last two lines of this blog entry. When a boyfriend had broken my heart, she said this same thing to me, and it has always stuck with me. Thanks, Mama.***
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