Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Strolling down the streets of New York can be jarring reflection about the state of humanity -- a business man in suit and tie tries to optimize his time by walking and reading newspapers at the time, a thirty-something waitress zips by with her restaurant apron half off and is intently looking at that handheld blackberry; a high school girl is on her cell phone cussing at someone in her Brooklyn accent.

Trying to catch my subway train to Penn Station, I felt the New York Minute rush also. Until I notice an albino man ahead of me, walking very purposefully, taking very small, slow, intentional steps. He was blind. For every step he took, he would swing his stick couple of times to get the lay of the land in front of him.

I passed him in no time, like everyone else. But then, I looked back at his rhythmic steps. This time, I notice the innocently placed, slightly crooked hat on his head. I walk back to him.

"Hello Sir! How are you doing today?" I ask him in an upbeat tone. "Why just great. How are you doing today?" "Oh, excellent." "Well, I'm very happy to hear the good reeeport," he said in his New Yorrrrrker accent.

Somehow that statement struck me deeply – he was genuinely happy that I was doing good. "What is your name?" I ask. "Eduard. And yours?" he says while extending his hand out for a hand shake. Juxtaposed with streams of people zipping by, our conversation seems to have created an island of stillness.

Couple minutes later, we conclude. "Well, you have yourself a wonnnnnderful day now," Eduard says. "Thank you for the blessings," I reply. "Yeah, we all need blessin's from each other." "We sure do. You have a great day too," I say while walking ahead of him.

As I'm about ten feet away, I turn around to hear a faint whispher amidst the taxi-driver screeches. "And thank you for stopping by to talk to me."

I didn't reply because I didn't know if he wanted me to hear that. But I did.

I walked silently – and slowly – with the wish that everyone would take two minutes of their time to pause for blessings from an albino blind man.