My life has unfortunately become like a bullet train where everything happens so fast. The list of activities and work never end and so random acts of kindness like the following pinched my heart and make me stop to say, “Work is hell but the rest of the world can still be heaven.”
From the bus stop, I have to walk four blocks in going to the office. I don’t ride the jeepney anymore not just to save me a few pesos but because I love walking (just as I used to in going around the campus back in college). But one particular Monday, because I had new shoes and they were 4 inches high(I just wanted to try how it feels to be 5’4″ haha) and I was running late for the flag ceremony, I took the jeepney. Since I’m not really sure of the price increase/decrease (I just lost track) of the minimum fare, I paid P8.00 just to be safe. Then the person beside me whom I asked to make pakisuyo to hand in my fare to the driver asked me, P8? and gave me a bothered look. I just nodded. Then the driver, after receiving the P8, counted it and gave back my P1. That just made my day.
I still was late for the flag ceremony that Monday but even if I wasn’t able to sing the national anthem (which I really take pride and pleasure in), I knew I was just proud to say that this country is our lupang hinirang with people like that manong driver .
This incident also reminded me of another similar experience when I went to Davao for a training last month. We went to Vangkeruhan where we found those famous one to five pesos ukays placed in random piles in karitons. In the truest sense of the word ukay, I really had to ukay in order for me to see the rest of the pile. My patience and perseverance paid off as I was able to scout 12 pieces of clothing including two one-piece swimsuits for only two pesos each.
When I paid, it had just slipped my mind that each piece I bought cost only two pesos. Obviously, it’s not everyday that I can buy something for two pesos only (I’m not really fond of buying candies so it’s kind of rare for me). So when I gave my best finds to the manong for him to wrap, he said 24, and I thought he meant 24 pieces not P24 pesos. So I gave him P50 (two pieces of P20 and P10 coin) and he only took P24.When I gave back what I though was an excess in his change, he told me I only owe him P24 and I was left to say, “Oh.” I was an innocent visitor in the city, and he really could have chosen not to give me the exact change.
I guess being saturated with all the corruption talks and the negativity, I was just really surprised to experience honesty and kindness.
