Why we should try to see the good

Once a week I take my client to the university my husband works at. On that day my husband and I take the bus together. One particular morning this week however, things got…well…gross.

It started with an adorable British mother and son clammoring onto the bus. They looked sweaty and frazzled. The boy looked concerned and adorable in his owl hat.

The mother was gently cooing at her son, holding him and reading him a story as the bus moved along. I thought it was so wonderful to see.

They were sitting amongst a group of young girls, going over notes, listening to music. Then suddenly, the boy began to squirm.And the words that no one likes to hear coming from a child (especially when you are squished on an over-full bus)

 

Then I saw it. The panic in everyone’s eyes as they realized they had a very sick boy sitting with them.

The Mother was trying to calm him down, but it was clear this kid was not okay. He started grabbing his stomach and crying. And then the mother did something that I think sealed their doom.

She cupped her hand beneath the young boy’s mouth like a bowl.

I remember thinking in my mind at that exact moment: “No, bad idea. You’ve just given him a makeshift bowl. He is not going to hold back.”

And he didn’t.

And like something out of a movie, it didn’t stop. He just kept barfing and barfing. My husband and I just kept watching in utter shock at what was happening.

And while everyone else on the bus just sat in mute shock, it was the young girls (the type that social media like to pretend only cares about selfies, boys and clothes) jumped into action.

With no ounce of disgust or anger, theses young ladies started handing the mother napkins from their bags, trying to clean the mess off the boy’s shirt and floor.

They were so calm and collected. They didn’t make a bad situation worse. They didn’t scream theatrically or yell. They just wanted to help out a fellow human being.

The mother thanked them profusely, thanking them for being so kind. They just laughed off the situation and did what they could to help.

The saddest part of the trip was when the boy and his mother got off at the next stop and the boy, covered in puke, looks up at his mom with the saddest, biggest eyes and spoke in the most adorable British accent.

Girls, wherever you are, that was really nice to see.

The point of this story is that we tend to focus on the wrongs in life. What people suck at. When people disappoint us. So instead I like to share stories like this- stories where people are unexpected. Where kindness flows so easily.

Try to see the good in people.