People here are nice

This morning, I was running late for work (as usual) and (for once) the bus driver decided to wait for me before taking off. It was the last shuttle for another 15 minutes, and I was fully aware of that as I approached at a speedy pace.

Yet once I got on the bus, I noticed a line of people waiting to be seated, and I realized this probably meant seats were running low. To my chagrin, I was the last person left standing without a seat, and the driver started to glance in his rearview mirror, wondering why everyone wasn’t sitting down. It only took me a second to read the big sign in bold letters that said “ABSOLUTELY NO STANDING ROOM” and realize it was time to exit shuttle left. Without hesitation, a young man sitting down beside me scooted out of his seat and told me to sit there. I initially declined and started to make my way back to the front, when he grabbed my arm and said, “Hey, either you’re going to sit there or the seat’s gonna stay empty because I’m not sitting back down.” So I thanked him and obliged to sit in his seat. He squatted down in the back and tried to make it look like he was sitting in the back row. I know the bus driver probably noticed, but I guess he couldn’t get in trouble if it looked to everyone else like he was sitting down. So he took off, and for the duration of the trip, I was in complete and total shock over the fact that a complete stranger gave up his seat and squatted down for 15 minutes on a shaky charter bus just so I could get to work on time. I was overwhelmed.

All I kept thinking was what I should do in return. Give him a hug? Keep saying thank you over and over until he wished he hadn’t done it? Introduce myself?? Nothing seemed appropriate in this situation. He did a really amazingly nice thing, and I doubt he wanted any credit or repayment for it. He was just a nice person – or either he was just being a gentleman (because chivalry is not dead in the military for sure)—and anything I did would just take away from the simplicity of his random act of kindness. So I just thanked him again and enjoyed the ride to work.

But it got me thinking. I didn’t deserve that. I was late. I should have been there on time, and he could have stayed seated. I’m not a good person. Why should people be nice to me? I was so humbled.

I was also reminded that just yesterday, the cashier at the defac (cafeteria), who probably recognized my OCD, was curious as to why I did not get French toast that morning, and I told him they had run out. So he says “brb” and goes in the kitchen and gets me the last piece of French toast “so I don’t have a bad day”. Not only did he get it for me, he gave it to me for free.

And I was speechless. Again, moved by kindness. And again, undeserving.

I can think of so many situations where I've felt this way, especially since I’ve been here. Random strangers helped me move into my apartment (from start to finish) the day I got here. A random guy offered me tips on where to go, what to do, and how to get around the first day I moved in, and his advice has been priceless ever since. People give me free stuff, help me out when I don't even ask, and compliment me all the time (not just here), and I know I don’t deserve it.

The truth is none of us deserves anything good that happens in our lives. Which is why we always want to pay people back when they do something nice. Only there’s no way to pay someone back for a kind gesture without taking away from the random benevolence in it. What makes people feel good about doing something kind is knowing they did it without getting anything back. So the only way I can return the favor to the guy from the bus, or the cashier from lunch, or the people who helped me move in is to pay it forward. Someone was kind to me, so when the opportunity presents itself, I should do something completely selfless for someone else, and maybe they will feel compelled to do the same, and so on and so forth.

That’s what makes this a “nice” town. It’s not that people are just raised better here or the culture or stress level is different than everywhere else (though that might also be true). It’s merely the perpetuation of kind acts which allows for an atmosphere of graciousness and humility.

The beauty of kindness is that it only starts with one person, yet has the propensity to grow exponentially, as long as we nourish it and continue its cycle.

And it usually doesn’t even take something big. It’s as easy as complimenting someone’s outfit or haircut, or giving someone a hug, or telling them they’re appreciated. Sometimes even the smallest gesture can make a big difference on someone’s day – even sometimes the difference between life and death.

People aren’t nice here. Not anymore than they are anywhere else. People just tend to take opportunities for generosity when they’re presented with them. But that’s most likely because someone was nice to them, and so on and so forth, all starting back with just one.

That person could be you.

So make your town a nice town. Do something nice for someone today. :)


“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven…” –Matthew 5:16.