A couple of nights ago, I spent New Year’s Eve listening to 1940s-era jazz and swing music in a vintage ballroom in Maryland.
Shortly after 11 p.m., one of the women attending came up to me with a look on her countenance which betrayed recognition.
“I don’t know if you remember, but 17 years ago, when I was a beginner swing dancer, you were so kind and helpful to me,” the woman, who I’ll call Veronica, said. “I kept with it over all this time, through college, and met my husband while dancing.”
I was completely and utterly floored.
Veronica remembered me? Out of all these hundred people tonight?
I have gotten thanks from athletes that I have written about, sometimes years after their careers had their natural end. I once was stopped on the street by a wonderful two-way midfielder who said, “Without the articles you wrote for the newspaper, I wouldn’t have been able to get a scholarship.”
As I’ve gotten older, I have made conscious efforts at events at my old high school and college to give wisdom to current students. Much of this comes from my work a few years ago with a science fellowship program designed to equip bench scientists with the necessary knowledge about policy, the Federal budget, and even how to navigate the process of getting temporary housing.
Why do I do this? A lot of it is just because being kind, in a seemingly uncaring world, is a refreshing way to go throughout life. A few years ago, someone on social media posted a phrase that has resonated with me:
“Kindness doesn’t cost a thing.”
Whoever wrote that was absolutely right.
I guess Veronica was able to take that simple gift and turn it into a good series of life decisions. I hope I can keep doing the same.