Being Nice Doesn't Cost Much

I just recalled an interesting anecdote that I wish to share over here. I had been out to the mall with my parents roughly a year back, a few weeks after the Lockdown 2.0 had been lifted and when life was just crawling back to normal again. We made use of the opportunity to finally go for a small outing. We had lunch outside after what seemed like a decade and then decided to visit our local shopping mall for a bit of "window shopping".

As we were walking by the shops, I stayed back at a clothing store as a line of cute Indian bridal wear caught my eye. I admired the clothes from the shop window for some time and was turning back to rejoin my parents, when a lady who was passing by walked up to me and smiled. Just as I began scratching my head (figuratively of course) trying to recall whether I knew her from somewhere, she broke the ice and said, "I really love the skirt you're wearing! Could you tell me where you purchased it from?"

I have to admit I was taken aback and was pleasantly surprised, and was speechless for a moment. As someone who is not really used to receiving many compliments from people, this stranger I had never met before really surprised me, whilst also bringing a smile upon my face. I thanked her for being so kind and sweet and told her that I couldn't recall where I had purchased it from, but gave her a rough idea, and as we parted ways, I had a smile that lasted the rest of the day.

Through a simple act of kindness that she may not have even thought much about, this lady had made my day. It made me think to myself, it really does not take much to be polite, does it? All the hate and discord that is all around us today would probably not even exist if people would just make an effort to be nicer to each other.

Although she and I may most likely never cross paths again in this lifetime, whenever I choose to wear that skirt, or even glance upon on it in my cupboard, I am reminded of this kind lady and it brightens up my day. I am also thankful to her, for reminding me that kindness does still exist in this world. We just need to look for it, within ourselves and in others.