a happy post…kinda?
I was just walking home from a friend’s place stressing the entire way about how I still have to prepare for my interview, how I haven’t begun to study for my exam on Monday, how I have yet to tackle the impossible lab report due on Tuesday, and of course, being the pessimist that I am worrying about how the azithromycin that was just prescribed to me probably won’t work…all of this is not atypical of what’s constantly running through my head causing me to bear the ever-so-hackneyed cranky temperament.. and as I approached the dreaded stairs to my building, I was greeted with a cheery, “hey!” I looked up (of course I was walking with my head down in “misery”) and saw that it was one of my classmates. She asked about the progress of my exam preparation and of course consoled me by stating that she too was no where near prepared. It was very evident, however that she had just come from the library. I was close to bidding farewell when she forwardly asked if I needed to borrow notes for class because she was aware I missed two days because I have been sick. I was so taken aback at her generosity and insisted that it would be inconvenient for her to give me her notes..my schedule is virtually blocked until late tomorrow afternoon and she’d be risking losing an entire study day. But no, she insisted that I take them and went on to say that she felt horribly for not lending them to me during our previous class.
I was all smiles walking up those dreaded stairs to my building after. That sort of generosity is so rare. I’m the person who despises people who ask me for notes; I’m the person who doesn’t say hello to those who cross my path; I’m the person who hates holding the elevator for others. I don’t know when I became that person. I’ve always taken pride in the fact that I maintained a bit of the southern hospitality from my childhood. But then again, when I’m back home in New Jersey, I go back to being that friendly person who says hello to anyone on the street. It’s sad to say that over the years I’ve transformed into that “city girl,” with the city girl attitude. Everyone’s just looking out for themselves and only concerned about their obligations; everyone’s in a rush to get somewhere, and needless to say they too are too cranky to trust nor care about any stranger walking down the street. The fact that I haven’t been home in about three months, just makes my peer’s act of kindness, refreshing. It’s amazing how a small act of kindness can brighten a person’s day.
Other things I find refreshing:
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- people who hold the door open for you
- people who are sincerely, and genuinely friendly
- those who act “young and reckless”
