Holy cats, it’s been a long time! I really should be
studying for my Catering exam tomorrow (would anyone have predicted that
Catering would be this semester’s Econ? Nope, didn’t think so.) but Boston got
me thinking. Well, several lovely reactions to Boston got me thinking.
Jen said, “Rather than lamenting the evil that happens every
minute in every part of the world, remind yourself that humans are
intrinsically good.”
Patton Oswalt said, “So when you
spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety
misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, 'The
good outnumber you, and we always will.'"
I think it’s mostly about the little
things. I can’t change the world but I can make an impact on my little piece of
it.
Like this:
A couple of days ago, on an
almost-whim, I stopped at a Walgreen’s to see what they have in the way of
makeup mirrors. (The frame/stand of mine broke a few weeks ago and I am finding
it exceedingly difficult to find an acceptable replacement.) Walking through
the store, I noticed a small boy with dark hair walking in one direction around
a corner and down an aisle and a young woman with dark hair walking in a
different direction, then around a corner and down a different aisle. She was
clearly looking for someone and he looked lost.
I said to him, “Are you looking for
your mom?” He just looked at me with great big eyes. The woman, whom I assumed
to be his mom, started back toward where we were standing and I called out to
her, “He’s over here.” She hurried over, saw him, gave me a harried, relieved “thank
you” then scolded him for not staying with her and they walked away together.
It was nothing. It was, oh, maybe 30
seconds of my life. But I reunited a boy and his worried (or maybe just
frustrated) mom faster than they would have found each other without me. It
felt good to help them.
It was a tiny, little thing. I didn’t
do it for me but it made me feel good for the rest of the day. Well, clearly it
still makes me feel good since I’m writing about it two days later. More
importantly, I made a tiny little impact on that mother and son.
Maybe you think this is a silly thing
to write about, especially after the bombings in Boston. Maybe it is a silly
thing to be proud of. But it’s these little things I know I can do so I will
keep on doing them.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change
that you wish to see in the world.” That’s what I’m trying to do. It’s my way
of fighting back.
