Every time I am convinced that the world is a mean and cynical place something happens to force me out of my gloom and despair, only to realize that kindness exists in the strangest places.When I first moved to Columbus two years ago from a small town, I was sure I had moved to a dangerous and terrible place where kindness did not exist. I spent hours on the phone with my friends and family letting them know I was bound to be dead any day. I focused on the crime stories in the local news and the dirty streets around campus. Until the day I locked my keys in the car right after buying a futon on Bethel road, I was sure that even in this decent neighborhood I would be murdered. But when I went back into the futon store to make a phone call, the owner closed the store for “lunch”, drove me to the campus area to get my spare keys from my roommate, and then drove me back to my car. I was amazed that someone would be that kind and expect nothing in return. After time went on in Columbus, I began to grow cynical again. The futon store incident moved into the past and the depressing saga of the daily news wore me down. I was terrified to find myself broken down on the side of the road in a rather seedy neighborhood. I wasn’t even sure that I wanted anyone to stop. However, I am very grateful to the two gentleman who stopped to change my tire. Once again my faith in humanity was restored… temporarily. Between people cutting me off in traffic everyday and the general pace of the city rushing past me, I began to sink back down into my “people are jerks” sentiments once again. Then one day I was stuck on campus all day. My home is not within driving distance. My blood sugar was low, I was shaking and nothing was going right. I forgot to do my Spanish homework, my stats class ran over and I had an interview for the Lantern immediately after class. By the time I realized that I needed to eat, I was shaking and couldn’t think straight. I headed to Bruegger’s to get a bagel and some juice. I ordered my bagel and made my way through the line. When I got to the cash register I couldn’t believe my wallet was empty. I reached for my debit card only to find that they don’t accept them. Embarrassed, I told the cashier I would not be able to get the juice and starting gathering change to pay for the bagel. The whole time I was shaking and obviously distressed. Just as I dropped a handful of change on the counter to pay for the bagel, the manager of the store came by. He told the cashier to give me the juice and the bagel and gave me back my change. He printed me a receipt and told me to come back tomorrow and pay. I was astonished that someone would see my situation, realize I needed to eat and trust me enough to pay the next day. It was a random act of kindness and trust that I took very seriously. Even in the big city some people have faith in others, and I value that. Of course I paid my bill, but I will never forget that small act of faith in me and the manager’s ability to see that I was in need. I didn’t have to tell the manager of the store that I am hypoglycemic and didn’t have to explain what that means. He didn’t even ask because he saw I was in need and decided to take the high road and help me out. I can’t repay this man directly, but I plan to keep my eyes open for my chance to pass his kindness on to someone else. Next time someone is in need, realize that could be you and pass along some kindness. You never know when it might actually be you.
Tiffany Archer-Goldstein is a senior from Kenton, Ohio majoring in journalism.
