Little things mean much..

A woman. Small, clad in an over-sized dress with untamed hair swept up in a clumsy pony tail walks up beside me at the elevator lobby. She looked tired, perhaps exhausted from a long day's work. After all, it was Monday evening - possibly the worst day of the week for most.

Having a rough day myself, I chose to ignore this petite lady. The elevator displayed LG2. The doors open; the first thing that greeted our eyes was an empty 1 liter carton of apple juice. "Idiots!", I thought. "Why can't be people be more responsible in throwing their trash?!"

Yes, the apartment I lived in lacked one thing we so often ignore - trash cans along the hallways. People had to go to the communal bins (which are un-strategically placed in garbage rooms at the end of our hallways) to get rid of even small things like a piece of tissue paper - or in this case an empty 1 liter carton of apple juice.

Judgmental as I was, it didn't cross my mind to even pick the empty box up and put it into the trash on my way out. Yet, this tiny lady, in her unkempt look and exhaustion bent down, picked up the box and brought it out of the lift when her floor arrived. The last thing I heard was the slamming of the garbage room's door as the lift door closed once again to take me to my floor.

Word. Actions speak louder than words.

It has been two weeks since what most would consider as a menial incident, happened. Yet the impact that woman left on me has imprinted something into my very soul - to not judge; and to practice random acts of kindness. Maybe these small things lead a long way - it may be a long shot, but it's definitely a shot at making the world a better place.