I am extraordinary!
Let me tell you how I know:
Yesterday I used an elevator and upon entry saw a bright pink post-it-note stuck to the back wall. It was small but its colour drew attention. I typically back into elevators but decided to go straight in because I was curious to read what was on the note. I pushed forward, made sure the door could close behind me, that my wheelchair bag wasn't blocking it, and then leaned forward to read the message.
"You are extraordinary!"
There was something so bold about the colour of the paper and the way the note had been printed, by a very sure hand, and the exuberance of the exclamation mark, that made me smile. Weirdly, for someone made uncomfortable by compliments, the message slipped by all my defenses and landed solidly right smack in the middle of my heart. It was an unexpected affirmation from someone unknown to me, left for the sole purpose of making someone's world a little brighter. And, for me, it worked.
The strangest thing though was that when I used the elevator again, hours later, it was still there, in exactly the same spot. No one had ripped it down, no one had written another message over it, no one ... it was put up by someone who wanted the world made brighter and left there by everyone else who either needed it or recognized that it was needed.
I don't know who wrote it and stuck it up.
But, I think I like them.
Small things matter, we know that, but actually getting the idea and carrying out the idea are different things, aren't they.
Doing Damns the Darkness.
And someone did that for me.
4 comments:
a random act of kindness that obviously touched many people....and a positive elevator experience for you!
clairesmum
Last year, the city replaced a couple of sidewalk sections on an arterial route near my house. Going towards the bus line, someone wrote "Have a wonderful day!" in the fresh cement and then "Welcome home!" on the "return" side. Brightens my day and restores my faith in humanity.
You ARE extraordinary. Way, way, out of the ordinary.
Not only are you a good, hard-working, loving, useful person, but you are a good writer (and a half-way decent artist).
So there.
An awful lot of people are better people because of you.
Hi Dave!
I actually know the person who put up those post its, so I shared your entry with her.
Here's her response. :)
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing this with me. My eyes almost got a little leaky ;) Very cool to hear he had this experience and that he actually took it to heart. He could have read it and thought nothing of it. Love that it found a cozy place in his heart!. Super cheesy, but I am glad we decided not to take them down. We all get what we need to hear just when we need to hear it.
Thank you for noticing!
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