Danny

The first thing that came to mind was a moment I had on the bus. And I think anybody who rides the bus frequently would agree with me, that you really see all types of people on the bus. You see the good, the bad, the ugly, and it’s really a unique and beautiful experience. And this specific day I was watching this guy (and I really love people-watching), and he was a man with a handicap, either he didn’t have a left hand or was missing a few fingers, either way I couldn’t really tell because he had a glove on his hand but it was clear that he couldn’t use one of his hands and he was trying to open this pop-tart. And here I was trying to decide if I should help him or not.

And two minutes, three minutes pass by and I still couldn’t get myself to help him. Because I didn’t want to impose on him, and make him feel that he isn’t good enough or strong enough to do it on his own. So I watched him and tried to see if he could do it on his own.

And then in comes a couple and, for the sake of the story, I’ll use some labels. They looked kind of punk-rockerish, big hair, earrings, tattoos, leather jacket, the whole nines. And they sat down and were really outgoing, and when people come in, you immediately place labels on them like I just did. So not only was I hesitating to help this person, I was already passing judgement on the two other two people who came in.

But this lady sits next to this man who is struggling to open his pop-tart and she glances at him one time and immediately asks him: “Hey, do you need help?” And she opens the pop-tart for him. And I don’t know what it was about that moment, that made me realize “Aha!” that’s what it is, it’s that small gesture of generosity, of kindness, of love, that we’re going to see some day, that we’re going to see in heaven. And even if you don’t believe in God, everybody feels it in their heart, that we’re made to love and to show that kind of kindness to others. So that day, my “Aha moment” was that we’re all made to love in small ways, and that was my “Aha moment.”