kindness
Every now and then, I find myself thinking about the kindness people have shown me, that they probably don't even remember doing. But those small acts of kindness have stayed with me for several years, and will continue to stay with me for the rest of my life.
When I was in middle school, I played a piano piece for a band concert. Looking back, I'm impressed with how much drive my younger self had, to learn such a long piece in the amount of time that I did. Meanwhile, I started to learn a 4-page piece, maybe 5 years ago, and just recently learned the rest of the piece. But I digress... During that concert, I messed up—just one time—not too long into the piece. And I froze. Unfortunately, I was gifted with lifelong anxiety. I couldn't continue the piece. There were encouraging shouts from the audience, but I couldn't help but run off crying. I went into another building where band students were waiting, and was suddenly embraced by someone from the choir. We didn't know each other, really. I knew his brother, but this person and I were in different grades. Even so, this boy who was essentially a stranger to me decided to show me this kindness that I will never forget in my life. He continued to hug me so tightly even though I couldn't stop sobbing. I'm not even sure if I ever said anything else to him after that.
Another similar moment (because for some reason, I just love to mess up!) from my high school days that I also think about from time to time is when I had a competition for... something a bit too hard to explain for now. My friend (who is still one of my closest friends to this day; can you believe we've known each other for 15 years?) was also competing, but in a different division. For some reason, I simply choked. I made it through the entire competition, unlike the concert, but I just did absolutely terribly throughout the entire performance. Everyone watching could tell. When I finished, my friend immediately knew how I felt, and he too, embraced me without saying a word. This, coming from the guy who rarely expresses emotions, was a surprising comfort to me. And it is truly a moment I will never forget.
I moved to a completely new place this year and was a bit surprised at how people seem to not do as many small acts of kindness here compared to back home. Simple things like holding the door open for someone, or letting someone go in front of you. There are so many times where I come into my apartment complex at the same time as someone, go to check the mail (which is only a few feet away from the elevator), but that person just rides the elevator by themselves, making me wait another minute for them to get off and have the elevator come back down. In reality, it's not something worth getting your feathers ruffled over. But I just feel that sometimes, even a small thing like holding an elevator for someone can make their day feel a little better.