Random Acts of Kindess

You Never Know 

 You don’t take a trip—a trip takes you. That’s always been my motto.

 One December evening not too long ago, I was heading to Israel to join my whole family for my mom’s 70th birthday celebration. Unfortunately, my flight out of Denver was postponed for four hours—and that was just the beginning!

 What’s a woman to do with a four-hour delay? To pass the time and make some new friends, I bought a round of drinks for a group of young people at my gate. We arrived as strangers and became friends. 

 When the plane landed hours later at Newark, I had missed my connection to Tel Aviv. We had to wait for the police to retrieve a man who’d been smoking in the bathroom. No one could leave the plane until he was in custody of the authorities.

 It was Christmas Eve, and all flights were fully booked. When I learned that the next available flight was four days away, I felt anxious, even panicked. Four days stranded in an airport, away from my family in Israel? This type of travel glitch had never happened to me before.

 Pondering my next move at the gate, I spotted Noah, a young man who’d been on my flight from Denver. I had bought him a drink earlier, and he had also missed his connection. He was traveling alone with no money, and his charger was in his checked bag. He also had family waiting for him in Israel.

 Noah and I stuck together. We decided to fly standby 24 hours later, and during our entire travel limbo, I made sure Noah had food and a charged phone.

 When we finally boarded, my name was called over the intercom. I was told to remove my belongings from the plane and leave. My seat had been double-booked. Well, after missing an international flight and waiting 24 hours to get on the standby flight, I was not about to leave that plane. The air marshal approached me and firmly encouraged me to gather my belongings and leave the plane. It became a bit of an altercation. I just couldn’t deal with the stress of the never-ending travel limbo, of the unknown.

 It was at that moment that Noah stood up from his seat and said, “Leave her on the plane. I’ll get off.”

I had thought that our chance meeting was about what I could give to Noah, how kind I could be to him. Ultimately, however, it was the other way around.

 Noah performed the ultimate act of kindness for me, allowing me to stay on the plane and delaying his own departure. Months later, I invited Noah to our home for dinner and learned that he made it onto the next flight and reunited with his family. His luggage even arrived on time. 

 When in your life have you seen that kindness is contagious? What examples have you witnessed or experienced where acts of kindness led to happiness or other non-material rewards? What stories about kindness and generosity inspire you? 

 Consider how you can incorporate generous giving into your own life. Give to family, friends, to strangers. Try doing it anonymously. Reflect on what you learn.