I am repeatedly reminded that everyone you and I meet, and everyone you and I already know, is capable of goodness and kindness —- I believe it comes with our humanity — and is living a story worth hearing. It’s amplified for me when I’m traveling.
A woman from Ukraine cut my hair this morning in a Prague barbershop. I wish I could have spoken her language and spent an hour in a coffee shop listening to her. Her kindness, her artist’s approach to my limited amounts of hair (lacking in potential to warrant her advanced skills) reached something in me.
It was much more than a haircut.
The Russian Uber driver who drove me home from dinner last evening made me wish I spoke Russian. The photographs of his wife and children mounted on his dashboard gave hint that he is far from his family. I would have loved the opportunity to hear more about his life. He treated me with kindness and got quite a kick out of seeing a photograph of my sons as I exited his vehicle.
It was much more than a safe ride to the hotel.
The woman who checked me into an earlier flight than the one I was supposed to take to my Czech Republic destination was thrilled to tell me in broken English that she too is a Smith. The delight in her eyes when expressing that there indeed was a seat for me on an earlier flight revealed genuine joy.
Her zeal meant much more to me than an earlier than scheduled arrival.
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