Stories of Kindness from Around the World

To me, school breaks are opportunities to get away from the mundane routine of college and explore. For the Thanksgiving break of 2015, I decided to visit my cousin in Ithaca. It was a 9 hour journey from State College to Ithaca by bus.

The first leg of the journey, to Scranton, spanned about 6 hours. I had to switch buses in Scranton for the last leg of the journey, which spanned 3 hours. Unfortunately, my first bus got delayed by a whopping 2 hours. Consequently, I missed my second bus and had to wait for a couple of hours until I could take the next bus. It was 6 pm in Scranton, while I waited for the bus. I called my cousin to notify him of the delay and mentioned that it might be midnight until I reach home.

While I was on call, I did not realize that there was a lady standing close by, listening to my conversation. I also couldn’t have predicted that what was about to follow would have a significant impact on me.

When I got off the call, the lady approached me and we got into a conversation. She particularly asked me about my journey. When she learned that it had already been a long and tiring day for me, she very casually took out a pack of Nutella and bread sticks and offered it to me.

This was a kind act and I felt grateful; however, that was not all I were to feel that evening.

As I continued my conversation with her, I eventually learned that she was from a poor background; she was not a well earning lady who could afford giving away Nutella packs, but was a full-time house maid. This made my heart sink, not out of sadness but out of humbleness. Suddenly, her act of kindness became an impactful one too. I realized how much truer and kinder an act of giving is when one gives away what one needs. As I stood beside this kind lady, impacted by her act and waiting for my bus, I observed myself feeling a lot, but the strongest feelings were of gratitude, humility and of the need to steer away my own selfishness.