The Kindness We Overlook

Have you ever noticed those small, fleeting acts of kindness that make the world feel a little softer? Like when you hand your phone to a stranger for a picture—some just take two random shots and walk away, but then there are the rare ones who adjust angles, ask if you prefer 1X or 2X, and genuinely try to get you a good photo.

I fall into the second category, but this isn’t about me. It’s about those strangers who, in the simplest ways, make the day a little brighter. The ones who patch up the tiny cracks in your soul without even realizing it.

Like that one time in Hyderabad—I was wandering alone when a group of three women asked me to take their pictures. I did, they said thanks, and we all went our separate ways. But a little while later, one of them noticed I was by myself, that I hadn’t gotten a single picture of my own. She came up to me, offered to take one, and even held my handbag so I could pose freely. That gesture stayed with me the whole day.

That same day, my phone was dying, and exhaustion was kicking in. I stopped by a tiny store inside a metro station to buy some juice and bread and asked if I could charge my phone there. Metro station shops aren’t the kind where you can sit and rest—they’re meant for quick transactions. But the shopkeeper, without hesitation, gave me his chair so I could eat in peace while my phone charged.

And just a few days ago, I was at a grocery store, picking out ladies’ fingers. I handed them to the shopkeeper, who was on a phone call. He could’ve just billed what I gave him, but instead, without a word, he put some back and carefully picked out better ones for me. He touched and checked each one, making sure I got the best. It hit me—he didn’t have to do that. He could’ve just let me take whatever I picked, but he chose to be kind instead.

These are just three small moments, but they’re enough to remind me that kindness isn’t lost. We worry about humanity growing colder, but sometimes, in the most unexpected places, at the most unexpected times, kindness finds its way back to us.