Little Things

I feel like this has been a doozy of a week, one of those weeks that has maybe got some of us thinking that the whole Mayan-Calendar-End-of-the-World thing isn't sounding as bad an option as it might. Sometimes the world just seems like such a bad, messed up place. But, this week, I had a chance to travel, and travel is always interesting because you are interacting with a bunch of new and different people and somehow, that changes things up a bit. Anyway, I just have been thinking this week of all the little things that I saw in conjunction with my traveling that made such a big impression, and in some cases, a big difference for me.

I always feel a bit like a country bumpkin when I travel, and much as I wish I could pull of sophisticated world traveler, it isn't in my repertoire yet. But every time I had a question, or needed help, people responded. And they responded in a way that said, "It's okay to not know that. You aren't weird or anything. I have questions like that all the time." A way that said, you are fine. That means a lot--we all need that reassurance sometimes. So the waitress who helped me figure out how to separate the bill, or the gal at the car rental place who found a way to connect, or the people I met with who helped me feel welcome, instead of intimidated all really made a daunting experience doable, and doable with enjoyment.

I also saw a lot of people doing little things around me. There was the TSA officer who, instead of criticizing a passenger for not having everything ready apologized for making him go through the whole routine. ID--not current, do you have current?--Oh, can you take it out of the plastic cover?--Sorry, I know it's a pain but it's the policy, good luck with everything. She didn't have to do that. A lot of people would have been impatient. And the thing is, I was a bit impatient with this guy, not knowing what was going on or anything, but as I listened, and saw her attitude, it changed my attitude. Clearly, there had been some kind of problem, and he had had to scramble to get it resolved, and at the end of the exchange, I just felt like I had been made better.

Or the guy who had to call his neighbor while shuttling from the car rental area to the airport. His neighbor's sheep had gotten through to his property, and his kids were trying to round them up. He didn't scream or yell. He didn't even raise his voice or sound stern. He just said, "I wanted you to know, and I know you are probably in the middle of something, and my kids are working on it. But I knew you'd want to know, and just when you get a chance. You know how sheep are!" And the neighbor heard they had a hunting permit and invited them to hunt on his land if they'd like. And at the end of the exchange, the guy's wife said (of the neighbor), "He's such a great guy." Again, I felt like my life had been made better for that one, brief experience. I know it was probably rude of me to listen, and if they are reading this, well, I know I should apologize, but mostly I want to say thank you. Thank you for just being good, because it's who you are. It was encouraging to know that there are a lot of good, decent, kind people out there, and that you don't have to look far to find them. So thank you for that.

And there were loads of other little things. People going beyond what their job required, or what society expects of them, and being good, and decent, and kind. Little tiny things, that maybe no one will notice. No one ever got recognition in the paper for being cheerful while doing their job. But I think it is these little things, more than the big things like fund raising concerts and Facebook donations, that give me hope. Because these little things show who people really are, day in and day out, not just when tragedy strikes, and knowing that there are those kind of people out there is what gives us hope to get through the tragedies.

So here's to all the little things that ordinary people do every day. That is what will change the world.