Reward!

Xavier came today to visit. He will be here for the next five fun-filled, action-packed, no-rest days. It was a bit of a rocky start, as he missed his flight, and instead of arriving at 9:00 AM, landed at 2:39 PM. At least when he finally did get on a flight, it was on time. Silver linings.

In the mean time, tho, I had my own string of difficulties getting to the airport to pick him up. And by string, I mean one. The train from New Jersey to World Trade took forever to arrive, so I got to the airport about 3 minutes after Xavier. And I left at the same time as he did.

I saw something today that first made me think, then take action. When the train to World Trade arrived, I stepped in and noticed that while not full, there really wasn't a seat for me, so I stood. Behind me, an elderly couple got on the train, and they too stood. I watched to see if anyone would offer their seat to this couple. No one moved. Finally, a young African-American male stood up and moved toward one of the doors, and the couple thanked him and sat down. I began to think about what would happen if this were my grandparents-either side, and realized that I would hope that someone would offer their seat to my grandparents. Of course, I would, but would anyone else? This man did. Then I started to think about what would happen if there were some reward. Yeah, there's the "feel good 'cuz you did something nice" thing, but what if, every time, or even just occasionally, when you did something nice you got some immediate recognition? I bet more of us would do nice things.

I dug into my pocket and found a $5 bill. I decided to give it to this guy, and then started doubting myself. Who was I to reward this guy for doing something nice? What would he think if I just walked over to him and handed him $5? What would anyone else who saw it think? I debated right up until the doors opened at our destination, then as we were walking toward the steps, I tapped him on the shoulder and held out the bill and said, "Here, this is for you." Of course, he asked why, and I said, "You figure it out, but if that were my grandparents, I'd want someone to do exactly the same thing." He thanked me and said that he sees that kind of thing every time he gets on the train. We talked for the minute that it takes to walk up the steps, and then I wished him a good day and we moved on about our business.

Why did I do that? Was it for my own recognition? On the surface, no. I never gave him my name or anything like that. I did think it would make an interesting entry here, tho, so maybe I did it for my own bragging rights. Truth be told, what am I gonna brag about? If someone told you a story like this, you'd probably think he was crazy for doing such a thing. I've never denied that. But, it sure did make the rest of my day brighter. And even caused me to keep an eye out for opportunities to offer my seat. Try it sometime. When you see someone do something nice for someone else, just let them know you noticed. I bet they will appreciate it, and it will certainly change your day.