The Little Things That Change Everything

I took a walk the other day around the neighbourhood as an exercise for my camera. For some reason, I ended up at a patch of flowers in front of a house opposite my road.

A few shots and about 20 mosquito bites later, two women walked out of the house I was crouched in front of. They smiled at me, walked a few feet down to inspect a tree and came back home. A few seconds after going in, one of the women came out again and asked if I wanted to photograph more flowers. She had noticed me in front of her patch of purple flowers and said she had plenty of orchids in the house. She thought I might be interested.

I gamely accepted her invitation and spent the next few minutes photographing her orchids and listening to her talk about all the different flowers she had (including one which only bloomed for a night before dying the next morning).

As I was walking home later, I thought of how this person had just invited me into her house simply because she thought I might like more flowers to photograph. Her hospitality and friendliness added a definite ray of sunshine into my day. Being an introvert, I am always reminded of how much openness can matter to others, and how sometimes, it is just such a kind and warm thing to do.

That day, this woman was a hero of sorts and an inspiration to me. She reminded me to be kinder, nicer, and more considerate to people. She showed me that there should be no fear in connecting with people. It’s probably not often we find people going out of their way to be nice to strangers and to offer a little hospitality, and to me, these people are truly admirable and worthy heroes in their own right.

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