Something Good

One thing I really love about the people in this city is that so many perform random acts of kindness. It always makes me smile whenever I see someone help out a stranger. And of course I realize how much we need one another - even if we have never seen each other before, nor is there any likelihood we will see the person again - when someone takes a moment out of their day to assist me.

Just the other day as I making my way to work, I had such an experience. As I passed through the turn-style I heard the subway train pull into the station.
I was trying to hurry down the stairs to the platform, but the crowd of Wall Street commuters were pushing up the stairs and I realized that the doors of the 3 Train would close before I could possibly make it down. Sure enough - I was two steps from the bottom (open car doors directly to the right of the stairs) when I heard those all-too-familiar words: "Stand clear of the closing doors, please." As my foot touched the bottom stairs (two steps from being inside the subway car), I saw the doors start to close - just at that moment, two men inside the subway stepped in front of the doors - effectively preventing them from closing. I slipped through and the doors closed behind me. My thanks went unnoticed as both men had already gone back to reading their newspapers.

Granted, the hundreds of people on the 3 Train may have been slightly annoyed that the doors took a moment longer than necessary to close, but it totally made my day that two strangers would help me.