Today I’m joining with Ruth Ayers and the #celebratelu community to share the moments that make us want to celebrate. There is a lot to celebrate in this world, even if we sometimes have to dig a little deeper to find it.
“Ummm…Maybe they moved it?”
The train station was supposed to be there. Google Maps said so, and in Google Maps we trusted. There was a train station in front of us, to be fair, but not the one named on our map, and not the one that was supposed to take us back to our hostel.
We were, to put it bluntly, lost.
“Excuse me. Can I help you?”
An older woman, on her way home from work in an immaculate suit and string of pearls, was assessing us with some concern. We showed her the map on our phone and explained the situation as best we could in our stilted, preschool-level Japanese. She nodded repeatedly, her head bobbing rapidly as she took in (and probably tried to decipher) our story.
The woman politely explained that we simply had to continue down the street to the next train station, which would take us to our destination. Then, bowing politely and shaking her head at our profuse and desperate thanks, she hopped onto the next train and continued on her way.
The world can seem like a pretty messed up place right now, riddled with war and disease, poverty and injustice, prejudice and ignorance. And in a lot of ways, it is. There is a lot of bad in the world. But, as I discovered while backpacking with my partner through a foreign country, there is also a lot of good.
As we blundered our way through a notoriously reserved and historically isolationist culture, we were stunned by the level of kindness and generosity we received at every turn from complete strangers. Little old ladies nearly bent in half from osteoporosis, severe-looking businessmen in severe-looking suits, harried young mothers wrangling several adorable children, even shy teenagers who giggled in embarrassment as they struggled to express themselves in a strange language, all would approach us and offer what assistance they could offer. We rarely had to ask for help, and a quiet moment spent browsing Instagram could result in a polite but unnecessary “can I help you?” from a passing resident.
None of the people we encountered would ever make headlines for their actions. They didn’t save orphans from burning buildings or donate millions to charities. They simply stopped to offer assistance to two confused-looking foreigners. But their kindness and consideration left a lasting impression on the two very confused foreigners they helped. They reminded us that most people are just regular people, trying to live their lives in the best way they know how. They reminded us how important it is to be kind, and how impactful even a small act of kindness can be.
For a homesick stranger, lost and confused and frustrated in a strange and far-away country, hearing someone say “Can I help you?” can make all the difference in the world, and can turn a negative experience into a lasting and positive memory. It can also turn into an inspiration to share that kindness with others.
We can’t all save the world, and we can’t all be famous heroes, but we can all spare a few minutes in our busy lives to help a stranger now and then. These small acts of kindness probably won’t change the world, but they just might change someone’s day for the better, and sometimes that’s enough.
Small acts of kindness make the world a better place for all of us and can make the world seem a little bit smaller. I hope you encounter many more of these kindnesses on your travels.
I couldn’t agree more!
“In Google we trusted,” and “assessing us with some concern” drew me in with laughter. But by “how impactful even a small act of kindness…” brought me ’round to the heart of your post. Thank you for stringing this together and sharing such a beautiful truth.
Thank you so much! Sometimes stepping outside of your comfort zone can be a truly enlightening experience.
Thank you for sharing your journey with such vivid details. I could visualized the scary feeling on your face and then the smile when a strangers asks, “Can I help you?” I believe we can all change the world with gratitude and taking a moment to help others. Happy Saturday.
Thanks so much for stopping by, and I absolutely agree with you – we can all change the world, together!
Lovely piece about the impact our small actions can have. I smiled when I read your words: “In Google maps we trusted.” We’ve all been there before, when Google maps let us down.
It’s actually a bit frightening how dependent we’ve become on technology! There were times when our GPS didn’t work and we had to navigate ourselves around the old fashioned way using a map, and it was quite an experience!
Jane, I love hearing about your travels, and this is a beautiful and inspiring story. I do believe that kindness is everywhere, and you’ve just shown me how it showed up for you.
We are on the same page – celebrating kindness today. Thanks for sharing those Japanese signs, too – hard to decipher!
Your post made me hungry for more. I have often wanted to visit Japan for myself. I would love to read more about your travels in that mystical land.
Oh I love this because it IS amazing how far a small offering of kindness can go. And I think it really does put us in a frame of mind to pay it forward! (So it goes on and on!)
“Can I help you?” – the kindest thing one can hear when lost. I experienced this once in Moscow when I had exited a wrong metro station. Listening to each others’ stories reminds us to not only appreciate kindness but also to be kind. Thank you for yuour story and thoughts.
I love this post. Sometimes lately I have been thinking about the many difficult things about life and our world and this is a great reminder that so many many people are kind.
It’s so important to try and find the joy and the kindness in the world, especially when everything just seems to be spinning out of control. It doesn’t negate all the bad things around us, but it can help give us the strength we need to try and change the things we can change!
So beautiful! Your essay made me think of the many people who helped me find my way when I lived abroad and seemed to be always lost (the woman who led me to the post office in Sarajevo, the man who drove out of his way to show us the way to the main highway outside of Ragusa, etc., etc.).
It also gave me pause. When did I last stop and ask a stranger, “Can I help?”
Thanks for the call to action!