“Life is not made up of big deeds and big sacrifices. Life is made up of the simple things and sweet smiles.”
On a Monday morning rush hour, I got into relatively lesser crowded bus where people didn’t need to stand on the foot board. Was happy to have "amassed" a seat right near the door so that I wouldnt need to jostle with others on the way out.
Just at the second stop from there, a passenger limped into the bus.
I thought for a split second about the others seated who would vacate the seat at the same time hoping that there might be a vacant seat elsewhere too, but nevertheless almost on an instinct(after a second!!), I got up to offer the seat to the new passenger.
Moving a couple of steps back I decided to stand, when I noticed the only vacant seat was dusty with a layer of mud and sand. There was an aged person in the adjacent seat who was travelling also for work to the city's market with her straw basket laden vegetables. She gestured and offered to move aside so that I can occupy the seat, but I smiled to her telling that I wouldnt mind standing. Immediately, she wiped away the dust with her hands and instructed me to sit down!
It was an instinctive gesture on her part surely did not involve any thought even for a split second on getting the hands dirty or to look for a tissue or the H1N1!
Its the virtue of the lady towards a complete stranger that still lingers with me ;
Small selfless acts are common among friends and people close to us. And usually our ego wants to remember the deeds making it hardly unselfish.
However, random instances of considerate acts from strangers do make a good thrashing for the ego that needs to appreciate the simple things in life.
In the pursuit of making money and getting things that money can buy, it is important to check that we haven’t lost the things that money cannot buy.
