simple courtesy

Why don't people talk to eachother anymore? Hi, hello, how are you, nice day isn't it?
I commented to the young man loading the luggage under the greyhound, "that's gotta be hard on your back, hey?", only because he was grimacing with pain and trying to hide it as beads of sweat became garlands on his sweet face. He spun quickly and looked at me when I spoke and it had more to do with the fact that I had spoken to him than the words I had used. As it took a moment for him to absorb what I had said, he looked warily and then almost angrily at me. When the look on his face changed from apprehension to appreciation, I knew he had recognized me as an ally. He put my guitar on the bus upside down and I asked him if we could just flip it the other way, he obliged quickly, and later, when I was on the bus, he looked at me (in the front seat, of course) through the windshield and smiled and I've never seen a more genuine and heart-felt smile.
Kindness DOES make a difference.
jasmine