Yesterday evening I was on the EL train in Chicago. Two men in their early twenties got on and one took the seat next to me. His friend was going to sit in another set of seats. I got up and said, "Oh, here. Take my seat so you can sit with your friend."
When I sat down he said to his friend, "She deserves a hospitality award."
I smiled, turned around and said, "Thank you, but not necessary." To which he replied, "It was cool a thing to do." He seemed so delighted by what to me seemed a rather small gesture.
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I sat quietly for a minute and then had a 'BING!" moment. I reached in my wallet and pulled out a Smile card. I turned towards the young man and said, "Here, please pay it forward." He took the card. I turned to face forward in my seat and behind me heard him say, "Smile! Right on! You should run for President. You know ... Smile - Yes You Can! SMILE - Yes We Can!"
By this time I turned sideways again in my seat so I could face him. The young women sitting opposite us were intrigued and one asked to see the card. The other said, "Oh, yeah! I've heard of this - so cool."
Now, I'm not sure this is how these cards are intended to be used, but the five people around me were so delighted by the Smile card that I gave one to each of them.
Everyone was smiling. And one of the young women said, "This is the happiest train ride I've ever had!" They laughed and talked about how cool and inspiring they found the cards.
"Imagine," one of them said, "if everyone went around doing kind deeds for other people!"
And then a woman got on the train. One of the young men stood up and said, "Would you like to sit down?" She declined the offer.
He was despondent that he had been rejected and suggested it didn't count as an act of kindness because it wasn't accepted. I practically jumped out of my seat when I heard this and explained, "Oh no! It doesn't work that way! The idea is not to be attached to outcomes, to rewards, to praise - it is all about your intention to give to another for the joy of giving."
The response to this was: "Ahhh, yes, that works, that works!" and it seemed we had collective agreement that just because the woman didn't want to sit down it didn't diminish from his act of kindness.
I was grinning from ear to ear with delight. When one of them thanked me profusely I said, "Look, it's mutual! You all have totally made me smile and brought me joy by how excited you are by all this." To which she cleverly joked: "Oh, well then, here! We've done our kind deed!" And she pretended to give the Smile card back to me. More laughter ensued.
The remainder of our journey together we talked, joked and laughed.
Coincidentally, they all got off at the same stop. I reminded them to pay it forward and they all promised to do so - and thanked me for a the joyful journey.
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- Posted by veena1
- Jan 14, 2013
- Comments (29)
Readers Comments
cf wrote: Wonderful occurance! Funny, how things sometimes just unfold.
princessliz wrote: Well written, felt like i was there. What a joyful ride it was! :d
Thanks for opening the door and inspiring so many! :)
Thanks for opening the door and inspiring so many! :)
sethi wrote: Thank you for being who you are.
minatalon wrote: Simple acts of kindness are so powerful. This story made me smile!
zumaone wrote: Such a simple gesture can bring so much joy. Life's awesome.
Ann Nguyen wrote: I was at a discussion on kindness and took out the smile cards and gave them to the people at my table. We all began sharing ideas of ways to use them. The cards are a wonderful tool for both a discussion and action. Thank you for the reminder.
kevwe wrote: Nice thought
Di wrote: Really great story! Thanks very much.
TXWildflower wrote: Wow! What an awesome story! Thank you for sharing your inspiring experience on the el train with us. :)
Lenea wrote: One word: awesome
