A Stranger's Kindness

Several weeks ago, I was coming home from work at the Perry School. It had been an amazing day there! Involving drumming, dancing, playing with the kids around the Peace Pole outside and then a Family night with amazing conversations between parents and kids in the Peace Room.

Any rate, this wonderful day went long. I had to catch an 8:24 bus to back on campus in time (or 5 minutes late!) to my Thursday evening Seniors faith sharing group -- one of the high lights of my week, honestly. I have about 6 blocks to walk and a long stop light. Booking it, I could see the bus stop at 8:22 and figured I was ok and slowed down a little. 3o seconds later, to see the bus speed by. This is a bus that only comes every half hour. I was leading the group that night and really didn't want to miss it, so took of running again. Hoping the next few red lights would slow the bus down enough. Running running running. And it's not gonna happen. Slow to a speed walk when a car, stopped at the light roles down their windows and says: "You trying to catch the bus?" To which, out of breath, I can only nod "Yes." "Do you want a ride?"

"Do you want a ride?" I think the earth stopped as I inhaled the question. Did I want a ride? And flashing in my head are thoughts of my prayer group and my desperate desire to be there. the warning repeated over and over again since i was little not to take rides from strangers. but there was something that made me trust that these strangers were not strangers but compassionate people. "Do you want a ride?"

To which, out of breath, I could only not "Yes." and got in the back seat.

"We saw you running and figured you wanted the bus," they said, "and we felt bad."

"Thank you!"

They resumed their conversation, finalizing plans for the party they were throwing the next night.

"Do you know what the next stop is ? I wonder if we can pass the bus before then..."
(this said on a tight one lane in each direction street...)

"Logan circle and dupont are stops" I said, " but if it stops and we are right behind it, I can just jump out and run ahead and get on it."

And just then, the bus stopped, I jumped out... the bus slowly started and I ran and knocked on the door. It stopped, opened the door, let me on.

I sat down, sighed, and laughed in gratitude. What a ridiculous night.

As the bus rode on toward school, I thought about risk and trust and compassion. To trust someone is a risk. How to decide when it is a risk worth taking? Be it in love, in friendship, accepting a favor ... there is the chance that hearts will be broken, that people will be hurt. When is the risk worth taking? When is it fool hardy?

What about the compassion it takes to offer a ride to a stranger? And the trust to accept? A risk is being taken on both sides. Can it only be justified if everything ends well?

I like to think that there is goodness in the world. That there is beauty and love and gentleness in addition to the betrayals and the pain. It's a gamble that I hope that I take every day, in one way or another.