Today I would like to share a story on kindness. So here it is. Career path took
me on a journey to a new city from Bangalore. I was living, walking, breathing, and talking in a metro city that never sleeps – Mumbai, in summers of 2018.
When I entered the
airport in Bangalore, I did not realise about the extra baggage with me. I had to leave a
suitcase with a friend, who had come to see me off, without being aware of things that could possibly be packed
in that bag. I promised him to return in a month to take it with me. I reached Mumbai and soon I got into paid accommodation. Once I unpacked, I realised I did not have my
blanket, pillow covers, and bedspreads; it was in the suitcase that I had left behind with my friend. The Bangalore paying guest
accommodation never needed an AC besides, I never really needed a blanket unless it was too cold. Mumbai is known for its warm and tropical
weather conditions so, naturally, I presumed I would not need any blanket. Hence, I headed out
only to buy the bed sheets and the pillow cover along with some essentials.
Once I returned to my room, after buying all the essentials stuff, I cleaned my space, made my bed, and plonked
on it to take a much-needed nap. After an hour or so, a girl entered my room.
She introduced herself and went on to switch the table fan at her bedside. Because I was older to her by age,
she called me didi. We spoke to each other for a while and then she requested
if she could switch on the AC. I never knew there was an AC in our room fixed right
below the window next to her bed. I obliged to my roommate’s request, and soon
the room was feeling cold. The cold air in the room hit me, so I began to fish out clothes that could keep me warm. By then, my
roommate noticed me frantically throwing my clothes on my bed and checked if I
needed some help. I told her about my extra baggage scene at the airport. She got down from her bed and headed
straight towards her cupboard. After a second or two, I see her carrying a
white comforter with orange floral print on it. She handed it over to me
and allowed me to use it until I got one for myself. I informed her she would have to wait
till the month-end to which she replied she would be my roommate for only ten
more days. She told me I can have the comforter for myself and she would collect it whenever I decided to buy a new one.
Giving me the comforter at the time of need, I feel, was a sheer act of kindness. Unfortunately, I had to relocate to Bangalore
after my roommate vacated the accommodation. Once I settled in Bangalore, I
checked with her if she could share her address so that I could courier her comforter. The reply she sent brings a
smile on my face till date. She told me I could keep the comforter for myself as
a token of remembrance. Now, whenever I see it, I remember her; her giggles,
our conversation, our late-night sneak out to have ice cream at Marine Lines; most
of all, her kindness. I made a mental note that if I ever get a chance to repay her act of kindness
in the same way it was showered on me, I will grab that opportunity.
On June 2019, a friend of mine had shifted to Bangalore for her work. She travelled with limited
essentials and found out she didn’t carry a blanket. Without much further ado,
I offered her the comforter I had with me. Looks like the universe was helping
me to continue the act of kindness. If you have a similar story on kindness, do
share it with me in the comment section, please. I would love to read it.
I love that story - paying it forward with literal warmth. Thanks for sharing that. Stories like that really help change our minds about the nature of the world, I think. If we are not careful and read only what we see on the news and in social media we risk getting a very negative point of view.
ReplyDeleteHere's my story on kindness: In 2012, my son and I created a "charity bicycle ride" except instead of people donating money to charity in support of our task, they would anonymously (through a web form) send us a random act of kindness they had just done (or would soon do). Over the course of about a year we gathered over 1,000. Everything from people buying coffee to strangers to baking bread for neighbours to an old age home's residents creating a bulletin board for all the things they were doing for each other. At the end we rode our bicycle built for two (my son was only 13 then and traffic is bad near the big cities) over 1,500 km from Toronto to New York City and along the way even stayed with 10 families we'd never met who offered us food and lodging. At the end in New York we gave our bicycle away to an NGO that works with blind athletes. A sighted person rides in the front and steers and a blind or visually impaired person rides in the seat behind. They made a video of us at the end: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6SXOChEV2Y
During that time all my friends would send me stories they would find of people doing kind things - sometimes I'd get one or more a day. Seeing that changed my idea of what the world is like and how people are.
This is so heartwarming to read, Todd. Best thing that happened to me today. Thank you so much for sharing!
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