Consistency is one of the many aspects of my life that I struggle with — both internally and externally. However, I always find that one thing remains constant: my love for unsolicited comfort from others.
A simple pat on the back from my mother seems to turn my whole day around, and a smile from a stranger on the street reminds me of the good in the world. These little acts of kindness leave me with fond memories of the power of the human connection.
I can recall one specific moment when I realized how connected we are to others around us. I was in the sixth grade, and like many others, I was dealing with a bully. It wasn’t anything too serious, but it was enough to make me beg my mom to allow me to miss school the next day.
I remember calling my best friend that night and asking her what work I needed to catch up on. To my surprise, she told me not to worry about it as she had done all my homework for me without me even asking her to do so. To this day, I still regard that as one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me.
I recently brought this up to her; she doesn’t even remember doing it. To have her support during that time of my life meant more to me than she probably ever knew. However, for this act and many reasons, she still remains one of my best friends to this day.
While I don’t believe that the power of human connection solely lies with those closest to you, I often find that kindness from a stranger can be just as impactful.
There was a time when, for no apparent reason, I was having a bad day. I wanted to make an effort to put my best foot forward and change how the rest of my day went. I took myself to Dutch Bros to get a coffee, and the employee there gave me my drink for free and wrote a nice message on the cup.
Even though it was nice to save that $4, what felt even better was the unprompted generosity that made me decide that my day would turn out to be a good one.
As I ponder how much these instances have affected me, my mind constantly seems to reel back to the one person in my life who has consistently known when I needed support, sometimes even unbeknownst to myself: my dear mother.
Whether that be because I wear my emotions on my sleeve or because no one knows me better than her, she’s always the first one to shower me with words of affirmation. Earlier on in the pandemic, I remember the overwhelming feeling of anxiety I experienced on a day-to-day basis. I never quite expressed myself to my mom, but somehow, she knew.
She also knew that leaving a bar of my favourite chocolate on the kitchen table for me would be the highlight of my day. Again, it wasn’t the sweet treat that cheered me up; instead, it was the unsolicited compassion that reminded me of how lucky I was to be surrounded by such great people.
Human connection is a funny thing. Many people believe that they lack the need for it, but I think they neglect to recognize the true power behind it. I implore you to support others at every turn of life: check on your siblings, text your parents, and tell strangers on the street that you like their outfits.
You never know how one second of your day can change the entirety of someone else’s.