And in the movement of the sun, I felt something I hardly know how to name: some huge, cosmic love.
Haruki Marukami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, 138
Earlier, as I was waiting for the 1, a man approached me asking if I had 20¢ to spare. Usually and unfortunately I never make street donations, be it for an official cause or a personal one—but on a whim I decided not to dig through the change in my wallet and instead just give him my last $5 bill; he needed to get back to Washington. With a kind smile and soft-spoken words, he thanked me and told me to have a good day. I don't know if he was just down on his luck with no way to traverse the state lines home or if this was the biggest lie I've heard in a while, but it felt nice to help a stranger out with no motives or strings attached. If I hadn't given him money he would've gotten it from somebody else, so why not? I'm very blessed, especially when compared to much of the world, what's $5 out of my pocket? It would've just gone towards eating out (which isn't necessary) or cigarettes (also unnecessary) anyway, might as well help out a fellow human being just trying to live. One of my New Year's resolutions was to be nicer and I'm extending that to all of humanity, not just the people I come into contact with on a regular basis.
On a completely unrelated note:
