One year ago, my cousin, Dana, and I spent ten days in Israel embarking on a unforgettable journey. We were extremely fortunate to be part of Bus #1111 on the Taglit-Birthright program. This program provides funding for young Jews to travel to Israel at no cost. We spent ten days traveling through our Homeland creating memories, sharing adventures, and forming a family with the group of people we traveled with. I think it safe to say that Dana and I became closer than we ever thought imaginable, and that those ten days were some of the best of our lives.
However, the start to our vacation while still memorable, was a little bit more stressful than we had anticipated. Aside from taking after our grandmother as very literal and confused (yet happy) humans, we got lost in the airport a few too many times. After that came security guards not speaking English, our luggage being taken off of the plane from Detroit to New York because it was too heavy, almost being kidnapped by a very persuasive man in an unmarked taxi car, and trying to figure out why a caesar salad cost fifteen dollars. And this all happened before our Birthright trip even began. Needless to say, we were already exhausted when finally arrived at the airport in New York, eager to meet the amazing group of people we would be spending the next week and a half with.
As we anxiously walked up to our new group of friends, we immediately clicked with a girl named Rachel. She helped us make name tags, we had a few laughs, decided we were all starving already, and then found out that we were with the wrong group. The group Dana and I were supposed to be with was on the other side of the airport. So we said goodbye to Rachel, picked up our bags, and ran across the airport.
We were finally there. Our two trip leaders were young and vibrant and eager to meet us. But at this point, Dana and I were tired. We were up all night trying to locate our bags, we missed breakfast that morning, we almost got on a plane with the wrong group of people, and to top it all off, right there in the airport after 20 people tried introducing themselves to us, something slimy fell on to my head. Yes, there was a bird living in the fake tree 15 feet above my head, and yes, right there in front of my group and my cousin, this lovely little bird decided to poop on my newly curled hair and white fleece shirt. I didn't know how to react. Of course I laughed it off while on the inside my hypochondriac self could only think of how I had to get on a plane for 14 hours without showering off the goo. But what came next is the best part of the story.
As I was debating what to do, three girls I had met not even a minute earlier were already picking bird poop out of my hair, offering me towelettes and hand sanitizer, and assuring me that we would find the nearest bathroom so I could clean off.
Was this really happening? I had no idea who these girls were yet they were willing to touch bird poop in order to help me clean off? Yes, they were. These strangers simply smiled with me and laughed and made sure this would be a moment I would look back on and not feel embarrassed about.
My way of living has always been to be kind to those we meet. However, there are so many moments in my life that stand out where I met people and went through situations where that same philosophy of kindness was not understood or embraced. But right there in the JFK airport in New York City, one act of kindness toward me completely changed my disposition that day. The frustrations of lost luggage and expensive food and weirdly built airports seemed to seem less and less with the kindness of my new friends (new friends who over the course of ten days became family).
Now, if that one small act of kindness could completely change my mood, think of what kinds of amazing things could ensue if more people were kind more of the time? What if more of us treated strangers like their equals? What if more of us treated each other with respect? What if more of us simply did one nice thing a day for someone else? Holding open a door, lending a pencil, sharing your lunch? We don't need to be Ghandi in order to change the world, because you never know in what ways you are changing someone's world with a simple compliment, "hello", or smile. After all, it's the small moments like this that we string together in order to create the big moments that we all deem to be "life changing", "inspirational", "magical". Even picking bird poop out of someone's hair becomes a moment that a person may never forget.
There is a homeless women that sits on a street that I walk down once a week at school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She holds a sign that says "Kindness helps". While she may be referring to money as kindness, I also choose to believe that she is referring to warmth and acknowledgement. Because isn't that what most of us really want? To be made to feel as though we are important no matter the circumstance? With our lives being hectic and our own worlds sometimes seeming like they are the most significant, we tend to forget that everyone else has their own world that they are the center of and that sometimes someone else's world may be struggling. Sometimes a series of unfortunate events can take place in someone else's world, and even though those events may not directly affect us, is that any reason that we can't show love and compassion toward each other while being kind and helpful?
So let's be kind to the people we don't know, sure. But let's also be kind to the people we do know. The people we live with. The people we see everyday at work or school. The people we work with while volunteering. Because it may be simple to show kindness to a stranger by letting someone cut you in line at Potbelly or Panera Bread, but it may be a little more complex showing kindness to the people in our lives who we may take for granted. Showing kindness to our friends and family isn't just being nice, it's showing appreciation. Making sure that person knows they don't just matter to the world, but they matter to you personally. Your best friend may think she knows how important she is to you, but at the end of the day, we are all trying to navigate this crazy life, and little reminder never hurts.
There is a new Disney remake of Cinderella coming to theaters this year. One of the quotes from the movie is: "Where there is kindness there is goodness, and where there is goodness there is magic". So for this year, 2015, let's be kind, let's be good, and maybe together, we can create some magic.
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