Through the use of the public transportation here in Vienna, I am more exposed to people than ever before. A definite upside is being able to watch the kindness of strangers.
An old woman was using the U-Bahn (underground train) and was sitting comfortably until her stop came. She got up a few moments before the train was to stop, and already unsteady on her feet, lost her balance when the train unexpectedly surged forward. She started to teeter backward and looked as if she was going to fall. Suddenly different hands shot out. One grabbed her arm and pulled her forward, another guided her hand to a handle to hold on to, and another wrapped her fingers around the handle. Grateful for the help, the old woman thanked the strangers around her. She then got off the train in one piece, without the humiliation of falling.
Another moment in the U-Bahn. It was a hot day and people had crammed themselves into the train. It was rush hour and everyone wanted to get home to enjoy what was left of the nice weather. A young woman was standing next to me and had a backpack like device on her back. Her toddler daughter was sitting in it. The daughter told her mother that she was thirsty, but the mother said that she couldn’t reach the water bottle in the backpack. The train was too crowded and their stop was coming up shortly. The exchange went back and forth for awhile (you try reasoning with a toddler). The poor child was making signs of wanting to cry with frustration, heat, and tiredness. Another woman, who was watching this exchange, hesitantly offered to get the water for the mother and help the toddler drink. The young mother was grateful for the offer and took her up on it. The daughter was able to quench her thirst all because a sympathetic woman was standing near by.
I’ve experienced the kindness of strangers myself. Vienna is a big city and if I go somewhere new, I have to bring my map with me. The U-Bahn is so efficient that I have no problem finding my way near where I want to go. Once I am up on the street though, I have to refer to the map. I stand at street level like an idiot trying to decide if I came out west or east of the street, north or south. How many times has a person stopped and asked me if I need help? Enough for me to think I no longer need my map. ; )
The kindness has inspired me to act and pass it on. Paul and I were walking to the U-Bahn and saw an older couple looking a bit confused. They were clearly tourists and had not yet gotten used to the U-Bahn system. We asked if we could help them and they explained what U-Bahn station they wanted to get out at. We said we were going the same way and that if they came with us, we would tell them when to get off the train. Happily they came with us. When it came time for them to get off, the wife was so grateful for our help that she grabbed my hand and kissed it. Such a simple, small kindness that cost me nothing, but obviously helped the couple out.
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