A Little Goes a Long Way
October 15, 2024
Writer: Eve Collon
Editor: Sophie Graff
I walked into the airport alone, both physically and mentally, as feelings of hopelessness grew inside me. Tears brimmed in my eyes as I entered the security line, forcing a smile to hide my inner turmoil. My morning, week, and what felt like my entire month were against me.
I approached the security line with sadness and defeat seeping through my veins. I faked a smile for the sake of the security worker, as there was no need to displace my sorrow onto him. Subsequent to the smile I forced, four simple words left his mouth. Those four simple words, spoken three years ago, still give me hope that the world isn’t as bad of a place as everyone makes it out to be.
“Your smile is beautiful.”
My cold demeanor was immediately warmed. It might have been a mindless comment to him, but these four words changed the trajectory of my entire day, breaking the cycle of feeling as though everything was weighing me down.
“You have no idea how much I needed to hear that, thank you.”
I continued through the security line, feeling immensely better than when I entered the airport five minutes prior. His positivity stayed in the front of my mind. When I reached the metal detector, the woman working greeted me with a smile. She was giggling with her coworkers moments before. I decided to return the act of kindness that the world gave to me in that moment to this woman, continuing the butterfly effect of brightening someone's day with just a few simple words.
“Your laugh is contagious, it made me smile.”
If someone could compliment me without knowing how much I was struggling internally, then I, too, could uplift someone’s day. I can only hope that the positivity that was passed from the original security officer to me, and then to the giggling woman continued on throughout the day. Hoping that those four simple words created a ripple of kindness, reaching countless others like me who needed any sign of benevolence.
A little truly does go a long way. I can guarantee you that nobody is too important to take a moment out of their day to brighten someone else’s. As little as a smile, a hug, or a wave, can take someone from feeling hopeless to hopeful in a matter of seconds. I can also guarantee that the man who admired my smile that summer morning in the Detroit Metro Airport doesn’t remember our brief interaction, but his altruism taught me a lesson that I still carry with me today.
This past summer, my eyes weren’t clouded with tears, but rather sparkling as I spent time with my extended family - the people who fill my heart with joy. I was sitting in a golf cart with my cousin when she, too, said a simple sentence that brought me back.
“Your eyes are so pretty.”
As someone with deep, dark brown eyes, I rarely get complimented on this feature. Similar to the interaction with the security worker at the airport, this moment with my cousin will stick with me forever. Although she may not remember this comment, I now cherish my unique eyes in the way that she did in that moment.
If you are able to emit positivity into the world, the world will bring positivity back to you. They might remember what you thought of as a “mindless compliment” for the rest of their lives, and you could have no idea.
With that said, don’t wait for positivity to come to you, start the chain reaction yourself. Uplift a stranger or friend next to you so that they can, in turn, uplift someone else. Share your gratitude with the world; life is too short not to.
Image: Julia Bonanno
