My Good Samaritan

You never know just how much your day and actions impact someone else. Last fall, I was in my second week of classes. I was sitting down waiting for lecture to begin for How Things Work - the easy physics class when my nose started bleeding profusely. I was wearing new shorts, which I had now ruined. I ran out of lecture to find a bathroom. I found a bathroom on that floor and approached the janitor who was cleaning it. I asked if I could use it and she replied that I had to go downstairs because it was a boys' bathroom. UGH! Then she asked what was wrong. I told her that I had gotten a nosebleed. I had not been in my current house very long and I wasn't adjusted to the lack of humidity from the air conditioner or the dust was irritating me or something. She was so sweet. She got me a wet paper towel and then just sat with me and asked me if I was stressed. She talked to me and told me that I needed to stop rushing around and relax a little bit. She was so sweet and sacrificial. She sat with me until I was better to go back into class and she sent me off with some paper towels, just in case.

That made my day. She was a complete stranger, yet she took such good care of me. I don't even know her name. I would occasionally run into her before or after class sometimes. We would always hug. I will not forget her for a long, long time. I was struck by her generosity and ability to care so well for a stranger. Her little actions have made a lasting impression on me. She told me that she looks for me around. I told her that she was an angel sent to me. I really feel like she was.

The point is that small and seemingly insignificant actions can mean the world to someone else. People notice when one are selfless and sacrificial in the little things. I think that these can often mean more than the big things.  They are small, but so often over looked. What little things can you do to help others out today? You might just make someone's day, or inspire a blog post, or change the world, one small act of selflessness and change at a time.