Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Persistance Pays Off!


--by Ayya, posted Feb 12, 2015
On my hands and knees on the floor of the airplane, searching for an old lady’s missing hearing aid during the flight from Sydney to Los Angeles, it occurred to me that this may not be the most dignified posture for a Buddhist nun. (With shaven head & long flowing orange robes, I stand out.)

I had seen the old lady from the seat in front of me as she tottered up and down the aisle with a flashlight. I asked a few times what was wrong, but she didn’t answer at first — she couldn’t hear me. She spoke with a thick eastern European accent, wearing a vintage plaid tweed woolen coat.

 Do you know what hearing aids cost? Thousands, especially for the new tiny hidden-in-the ear type she described. It takes a long time for an appointment to make a new one, and many doctor visits to get the thing adjusted right. Therefore my dignity seemed less important than finding that hearing aid. But how does one find a tiny black object in a shadowy jet cabin?

The lady wasn’t even sure where or when she had lost it. At one point, a couple of flight attendants did a cursory search around the lady’s seat; I wasn’t impressed. “Needle in a haystack” one said with a shrug. They left suggesting that she search the seat of her previous flight! My flashlight turned up all kinds of small objects, bits of plastic, broken pieces of earbud headphones.

The old lady said that she gives up. Yet I couldn’t. After we landed, as passengers streamed past us, I insisted that the lady move aside while awaiting her wheelchair. Then I got into a real down & dirty search among the dust and crumbs in all the crevices of her seat and on the floor.

 Lo! a little peanut-sized shiny black object with a tiny white antenna caught the light of my flashlight in a floor crevice near her seat. What a rush. “I found it!” The old lady was equal parts astonishment and gratitude: "I haven't the words to express my thanks!"
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Readers Comments

Lorrine wrote: This is truly an excellent example of going beyond the ordinary to do a good deed--and for a stranger nonetheless! Bravo!
sandyremillar wrote: That is divine intervention if there was one! Thank you for your persistence and kindness. Namaste!
amazement wrote: Her prayers were "heard" when she encountered you!
Lindsay wrote: What stands out is your kindness.
KnitNana4 wrote: How kind and loving to keep on looking when others had given up. I applaud you!
nsosnow wrote: This is beautiful! You're an angel. Bless you.
Eden wrote: Awesome! Kind hearts save the world one at a time.
arun kurkute wrote: You were "kind human person" of that day. All success to you.
Bradley wrote: Kindness and persistence. And unbeatable combination <3
chalkblue wrote: Bless you!

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