Some People Need a Little Poke

Some People Need a Little Poke

I got on the bus this morning as usual. Our new driver is always a few minutes earlier than the old one. It was 6:05 AM. I took my usual seat about half way back and closed my eyes. I have mentioned it before. I do a sort of meditation thing where I close my eyes and think about life or the day ahead or whatever and it helps me pass the time on my long hour-and-a-half commute to work. I have trained myself to "snap out of it" when I hear the recorded woman's voice announce, "The next stop will be Davis Street CTA Station."

This morning I actually fell asleep and did not hear the announcement. Luckily, a woman near me poked my knee as she left the bus and woke me up. The same lady had poked me a few weeks earlier when I hadn't really needed it. I didn't complain then because I knew her intention was good. Today was different. I needed the poke! Who knows how far I would have gone before realizing my mistake? And I hate being late for work! I made eye contact with her on the platform and said, "Thank you very much."

I love random acts of kindness, especially when you don't think about it and just do it. I think that it is a window to a person's true character; how they act without thinking. Anybody can plan to do something nice, but is that not somehow more of a plea for positive reinforcement? "Look at me, I can be nice."

The classic example of not thinking but just being selfless is a story like this: A guy is walking down the street when he sees a house on fire. The Fire Department hasn't arrived yet. There is a lady on the front lawn screaming, "My BABY!" So the guy runs into the flames and saves the kid. He puts the baby in its mother's arms and goes on his way; no fanfare, no hero show, just an act of kindness. We should all do any little thing we can whenever we can. We don't have to be superheroes or anything.

Anyway, I was on the bus home this afternoon, in my usual seat. There is this guy who is usually on that same bus. He carries a black mini-duffle bag slung over his shoulder. It says Colorado Rockies on it. Most days I get on the bus before he does and he passes me to sit farther back. He is average in height but thin so it's not like he has any trouble fitting down the aisle. It seems like recently when he gets off the bus he hits my shoulder with the bag. You see, I sit on the aisle because the seats are very small and my shoulders are very wide. If I sit by the window with my butt centered in the seat, my shoulder is pressed uncomfortably against the wall. Sitting in the aisle seat relieves that problem.

The last two days he has hit me. I am not sure if it wasn't on purpose. So today I anticipated his stop. It was just a couple of blocks away by this big hotel complex. I assume he works there. It is the last stop before the bus crosses three lanes of traffic to make a left turn. I thought about what I might say. Maybe just a simple "Ow, that hurt." Or something more stern like, "That's the third time you've hit me this week!" I just felt like I would have to say something.

The bus driver changed lanes one lane and the "I want to get off" bell had not rung. If the guy was going to get off, he had to ring the bell. I turned around and saw him sound asleep. As luck would have it the bus had to stop for a red light before it could cross anymore lanes. Without thinking I jumped from my seat took a step or two and poked the guy's knee. He woke up disoriented. I said, "Isn't this your stop?" I could see the look of surprise in his eyes so I rang the bell. The bus driver pulled over for him to get off. Before leaving he looked back at me and said, "Thanks a lot." I gave him a smile and one of my patented almost salutes.

The key to this story is that I didn't think about it. I saw a situation where someone needed help and I helped. I could have thought, "Ha ha, dumb bastard, serves him right." But no, my true nature is to be kind and helpful. I transitioned from thinking about what I would do if this guy hit me with his bag one more time to a helping hand, or finger, in this case. Is that your true nature? I hope so because that will definitely go a long way to making a better world for us all.

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