Helping out

Life is full of opportunities to help others. But we do not believe that we can change things, but we can. If you think back on your life, there isn't a moment in any day, when someone, somewhere, isn't better off because of something you've done. It is not the big things in life that we do that other people hold in their hearts, it is the little things. Remembering a person’s name, or their birthday. Taking the time to recognize someone who serves you, in the restaurant, or the café or on the bus. 

I was riding the bus the other day, something I don’t do often and I was struck by the little things the riders did to make the drivers feel special. At every stop, when a passenger disembarked from the bus, the passenger to a person, turned to the driver and said thank you. A small gesture, but I watched the drivers face and every time he heard his passenger say thank you, I saw him smile. The passengers may not have known what they were doing as a collective, but by the end of my travels, the bus driver appeared to be floating on air. 

When I was in Australia, I took a bus down the Mornington Peninsula, on a regular basis and I noticed that from time to time, the driver would stop and wait at a station. I asked why, and the driver said to me, “ I have passengers who rely on this bus, and if they miss the bus, they will be late for work or getting home. It is ok if I am a bit late, but I never want to arrive at my stops early because some people may miss the bus if I am early.”

Small things that make a person feel special, the bus driver appreciated the needs of his passengers and he went out of his way to make sure those needs were met.  We are the same, it is the little things we do, that we do not realize how important these are to the people we interact with, and if we did, we would probably be embarrassed because we do not value the small things we do, but others do and did.

And no matter what you do, or don't do, with the rest of your life, you cannot now comprehend the amounts of love, joy, and personal assistance that are already being pressed out to you in gratitude.