Unmerited Kindness

Steve and I boarded the Express A train yesterday by mistake. We should have boarded the Local A train. The difference was not readily apparent; both A trains were bound for Brooklyn, but the Express was going to fly past our stop.

When it did, we were confused. In that moment of uncertainty, a sweet older man inserted himself into our conversation. He said, “You’re going to the airport, aren’t you? Then, you need to get off this train and go across the platform and catch that other train.” He stepped off, but we paused, unsure. The door closed and the train lurched forward, taking us yet further from our destination.

At the next stop, we got off, switched sides, and took a train back. When we arrived, he was there, as if waiting for us. “Here,” he said, “follow me.” And he led us to the train we needed to board. Unmerited kindness, gracefully given.

~ ~ ~

Shortly after the plane left the ground, the young woman in the seat behind us began to shake. She felt clammy and faint. A flight attendant fetched a warm compress and then called for a doctor. In the next moments, passengers silently moved to allow her the full row to lay down, and there were two doctors attending her. One flight attendant fetched pillows and blankets, another fetched the oxygen.

Thankfully, the girl’s problem was not serious; she hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for several hours causing slight dehydration and a blood sugar imbalance. A glass of orange juice and fifteen minutes later, she was fine.

So there we witnessed for the second time in an afternoon, the human spirit pouring unmerited kindness on a stranger. I could wax lyrical about the wonder of it, but simply written, it was a breath-taking day.