Favourite Things

I got this bus ticket during a trip I took to Waterloo in September of 2013. I was visiting to compete in the annual Startup Weekend with some friends. We had worked all-nighters for the past two days, and so I took a few hours on the final day to have lunch with a friend who lives there.

I was waiting for the bus when I realized that I had no fare, not to mention any idea of how to get where I wanted to go. There was another person waiting at the stop, a woman of about middle-age. I guess she noticed that I had a confused look on my face, because I saw her open her purse and produce bus fare. She handed it to me and asked if I knew where I was going. With her help, I made it all the way to meet my friend for lunch.

I still can’t believe how nice everyone is in Waterloo. I am so used to the general apathy of people who live in Toronto, that I almost didn’t believe that this woman genuinely wanted to help me. I never expect these sorts of things to happen, but when they do, they make my week. I keep this ticket in my wallet to remind me to pay it forward whenever I can. The world needs more random acts of kindness.

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