Acts of kindness always stand out, like a colorful rainbow in a grey sky. It adds beauty to the life of both the benevolent and the beneficiary. I can say this with such conviction because I have firsthand experience.
It was an unfaithful rainy day in the GRA environment of Ilorin. Anyone that is familiar with that places knows that it is all dominated by fenced houses. It is not surprising, since the area is a government resident area.
I was out to pay a visit to a friend there. When I was done , I started walking to the bus stop to take a bus home. The walk was like 15 minutes away from my friend’s place. I was halfway there when it started to rain, and not just any rain but heavy one. It was obvious I would be wet. Immediately I put my phone in a pocket that would not be damaged by water. Like I said earlier, there is no place whatsoever to take shelter from the rain. It is either I continue walking to the bus stop or I stand and wait for the rain to subside. The later seemed to be the right option, since I would be drenched by the rain anyway. But the problem is, the rain was heavy. So it was practical beating me hard, and if I am not careful I could lose my balance. So I just decided to lean on a fence, in the mercy of the rain.
The crux of it all was the fact that I catch cold easily. So it was certain that I would be sick for days.
I stood there thinking “what else could be worse than this?” Then I saw it, what was worse. About ten meters from where I stood was a woman getting drenched mercilessly as well. What made her’s worse was that she had a on her back. She could only cover the baby with a small scarf. I didn’t hear any cries form the baby though, it most have understood the situation quite well and saw that there was no remedy to it. Strong kid.
Suddenly I didn’t feel sorry for myself anymore. Whatever I was going through, this woman and the poor baby had it worse. For what seemed like hours, I stood there thinking of how powerless humans can be rendered by circumstances beyond our control.
I looked up and saw a Tricycle coming down the street. Finally! The seats of the Tricycle are all rubber, so they can pick up passengers even in the heavy rain. I motioned for it to stop, it did and I peeped inside. There was just one vacant space. I looked up to the direction of the woman. She was looking towards our side, obviously hoping that she would be able to get on. I told the driver to pick her up, as she needed to leave that place faster than I did. The driver moved forward to the woman. When she attempted to enter, I saw her body language. She understood what I did, and put her palms together motioning “thank you”.
We most probably won’t meet again. But that memory will stay with her a long time. If it were I would not forget it easily too.
My dad always says that it is easy to be kind when you are comfortable. The best deeds of kindness are the ones you do when it is all tough for you too. Maybe that is what influenced my action that very day. That act surely made a little difference for the woman that day.
That is the fact about Kindness. It can be a colorful rainbow in someone else’s grey sky.
This is my response to cleanplanet contest. You can check it out here
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