A frequent commuter, I never really expect anything special to happen when I ride buses home. However, on a particular night, one stranger showed me an act of kindness that changed my perspective of other commuters forever.
[ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏ] ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴀ ꜱʜᴏᴏᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴋ
My Commute in Context
Despite living in the province, I landed a job in the big city. That meant having to commute for 2-3 hours every time we had to report to work. Since my work schedule is a hybrid of face-to-face and work from home, this arrangement was fine with me. Besides, I couldn’t give up my provincial life that easily.
Because of this setup, I’ve grown familiar with buses. I’ve also developed my own travel routine. However, as a woman commuting on my own, of course, there are still fears instilled in me that I couldn’t shake off. For instance, I’m afraid that I’d be sat beside a bad person or that something bad might happen during the ride in general. And to overcome this fear, I’ve honed a sense of independence and mistrust of the people around me, just enough to keep me safe.
[ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏ] ᴀ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜᴛᴇ
Angel in Disguise
One night, I was riding a bus on the way back home. Needing to de-stress after a day of work, I put on my noise-canceling earphones and watched a K-drama episode I saved on my phone. At that point, I had already been given my bus ticket by the conductor and I was waiting for him to make his rounds and collect my payment. All the while, I kept watching the show.
A few minutes passed by but the conductor hadn’t come back. I was still holding two one-hundred peso bills when the bus lights turned off. That usually signals that all payments were collected and that the passengers were given time to nap during the commute. Obviously, that made me confused. I thought that the bus conductor had forgotten about me and the thought of getting a free ride at the cost of him being scolded made me feel guilty. With that, I resolved to make sure to pay at least before I got off the bus.
After two hours on the road, we finally reached my city. I was still going to get off after two stops but some people were going down as soon as we exited onto the highway. The man who sat beside me was one of them. But, just before he stood up, he gestured to me (and I removed my earphones) and then told me that I need not pay because he paid for my fare already.
Surprised but very grateful, I awkwardly said thank you and he got off the bus shortly after that.
How I Reacted to Kindness
The whole encounter was straight out of a movie. The man, presumably in his late 30’s, looked like someone’s father. Although I try to be wary of strangers most of the time, I did notice him early on since he was friendly with one of the sellers at the bus station, asking the seller to keep the change. I didn’t think much of him though and just proceeded to immerse myself in my own bubble.
Since I’ve also built up a certain level of distrust, I did think for a moment that there was an ulterior motive and that I would have to give back something in exchange. However, when the man simply got off after my quick thank you’s, I realized that his kindness was something as simple as that. My gratitude was also as simple as that. A normal, routine and almost robotic evening of commute can also become special and warm… as simple as that.
[ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏ] ʟᴏɴɢ ᴇxᴘᴏꜱᴜʀᴇ ꜱʜᴏᴛꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴀʀꜱ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴀᴅ
Paying It Forward
Inspired by the kindness shown to me, I’ve also tried to be kinder to those around me. The day after the special bus ride, I decided to pay for the fare of the person who sat beside me. Just recently also, a student asked me if it was alright to ask for cash in exchange for an e-money transaction (she wasn’t able to withdraw cash). Despite being a little tight on funds as well, I decided to pay for her fare and give her the cash so she could get home. (I was a former teacher so I have a soft spot for students in general.)
I know these are monetary examples in general and that I am in a fortunate position to pay it forward in this way, but the biggest takeaway I’ve had from these encounters is this: We are all human beings. We are all making our way into the world, and the journey would be much much better when we are kind to one another.
Guarded, I’ve never really seen other commuters as people like me who also have their own stories, own homes to get back to. Granted, there really are bad people I have to be wary about, but most of us are just doing our best out there. With this, I am inspired to be more kind, not only to myself, but to my fellow Filipinos out there.
I believe that kindness and compassion can change lives and even this society that hardens us. With simple acts of kindness, we can remind ourselves why we love, why love matters and why sometimes, it’s the smallest things that make the biggest changes. In my case, it was just one bus fare paid for but it led to inspiring me to express my kindness more openly to other people.
Thank you for reading, internet friends! I hope you are kind to yourselves and others this week. What act of kindness changed your perspective about things? Comment below. (All photos in this post are mine unless stated otherwise.)
Pauline is a digital marketer and occasional speaker for Creative Writing. Outside work, she pursues passion projects such as writing essays, poems, and short stories, composing songs and filming videos.
As a storyteller on multiple platforms, Pauline has also attempted to create multimedia content through her YouTube channel (pollenpiggy) and a podcast she hosts (“When Pigs Fly”). You can find her at @pollenpiggycreates or at pollenpiggy@gmail.com.