I know I had been silent for a while. Call it a time out.
Things have happened in my absence, of course, and even though many times I felt inspired to add another thought to share, I decided against it.
But today I want to share a small story with you, it relates to one of my very first posts on here.
It was about a year ago, maybe even more, when I met this young African guy Jeff on the train and gave him my magazine, after he had asked me where one could buy English magazines in Austria.
Do you remember my earlier post United Colors?
If not, feel free to scroll all the way down and read it again.
But back to Jeff, I mentioned how we had exchanged a couple of emails after that and then we stopped communicating.
I pretty much forgot all about it.
And now, a year later, I suddenly find this message in my inbox. He wanted to get in touch again, as that one little incident had made such an impact on him back then. He told me how he had faced diversities, being wrongly imrpisoned for a few months even. Now, life has been better, he started his own business and him and his girlfriend are expecting their first baby. In his email he mentions how he had not met anyone who was so nice to him here ever since our encounter on the train. This statement really touched and shocked me at the same time. For me it was a brief encounter and a random act of kindness, nothing I wouldn’t have done on any other occasion.
However touched I am, it also proves to me that our world can be very cold. Especially people of different ethnicity often face invisible barriers. In this context I remember two movies I recently watched, Babel and Freedom Writers. Whereas the former shows how kindness for some is a cultural given, just recall the scene where the young guide refuses to accept money in exchange for his help, the latter proves small things can have a far-reaching effect. I felt very empowered after watching the movie, but I feel even more empowered having found resonance in real life.
Apparently, it is still about the little things…
Watching the film “Babel” last night again reminded me of this. What a happy, sad, wonderful, exasperating world we live in. I’m really glad Jeff’s story is turning out alright despite all the adversity! You sweet little sun beam, you. (Speaking of: don’t miss tonight’s eclipse!)