Random Acts Of Kindness
This morning, as I headed into work, the Muni train came past me while I was about a block from the stop. I sprinted to catch it, and was within reach when the driver (who must have been able to see me) shut the doors and headed off. Many dark and bad words filled my head as I cursed the driver in particular and humanity in general and stepped back to the pavement to wait for the next train.
A second later a car pulled up and the driver (a total stranger) offered me a lift to catch the train. At first I declined on the grounds that it was too much trouble for him, but he insisted he was fine to do so, and I hopped in.
A couple of stops later he’d managed to overtake the train and set me down at the next stop. The entire time I was in the car I tried to express how extraordinarily kind his gesture was, but he completely downplayed it.
But I think it really was extraordinary, because I don’t think more than one person in a hundred would do the same, if that. I was very grateful indeed, but it’s pretty hard to cling to my long-established mantra that “people are shit” when ‘people’ do stuff like that. I almost wish he’d been a pervert with an ulterior motive so I could at least have the satisfaction of knowing I was right as I kneed him in the groin.
He’s the exception. Obviously.