Back then in 2009 I was offered admission to study accountancy at Abia Poly, Aba. Prior to the admission, I was managing a company with a workforce of 100 staff at Umuahia. Because of my outstanding performance, my boss won't let me quit the job. So I was shuttling between umuahia and Aba for school three times a week.

One day after lectures, I was standing by the school gate waiting for a bus to take me back to Umuahia. That was around 5:3pm.

Then a woman with a set of Newly born twins approached me for assistance. She solicited 500 naira from me to enable her go back to OWERRI that evening with the twins. Initially, I ignored her and walked away from her swiftly but the pictures of the innocent twins kept flashing through my mind. Then I stopped, made a u-turn and went back to the woman. I gave her 150 naira and told her to ask for assistance from others as I apologized for snubbing her.

As I took few steps forward, it dawned on me that all I had was 300 hundred Naira which was the exact fare to Umuahia from Aba as at then. I began to panic, thinking of how on earth I was going to make it back to my base because I had no friend, brother at aba then. I was tempted to go back and collect the money from her.

Eventually, I called my brother who was based in Port Harcourt and explained my fate to him and he sent me 500 naira airtime and asked me to find a buyer.

I tried all I could but no one was willing to buy. Then I met one bus driver and told him. I begged him to take both the airtime and the 150 naira I had and take me to umuahia. He looked at me, smiled and asked me to get into the bus. When we got to Umuahia, I gave him the money and the airtime but he said I shouldn't bother. I was overwhelmed at his KINDNESS and immediately, I regretted why I didn't give that woman all the 300 naira I had.

Just yesterday, I had another encounter that really humbled and made me understand how a little act of kindness can change the life of someone.

I went to repair a colleague's phone yesterday and I encountered an old woman probably in her late fifties. She had come to repair one small phone with a boy of about 11 years.

I noticed she was looking helpless but I ignored her initially. Soon, she approached me and complained of how the phone repairer told her that her phone, which felled inside water few days back, has gone beyond repair.

Her countenance portrayed her state of despair and frustration from her condition. I was touched to the marrows and asked her to have a seat while I chat with the repairer.

The repairer agreed to try one more time to get the phone working after my persuasion but eventually he told me the phone can't be repaired. Immediately the woman heard that, she started crying again then I was moved with compassion and tried to calm her down but she refused and told me how it took her months to save the money she used to buy the phone few days back. She said she can't afford to lose the phone just like that.

Again, I told her to sit down and let me reason with the repairer but the guy told me there's nothing he could do about the phone. The woman only cried the more.

I asked her how much she bought the phone and she told me 3500 naira. I check myself, I didn't have up to 2k.

I went to the next shop and bargained for the exact type of her phone. The seller insisted the price was 3500 but after I explained the situation to him, he accepted my offer of 3k. I made a transfer to him and took the new phone to the woman together with the old one.

The woman almost prostrated in appreciation and her reaction drew a lot of attention which even embarrassed me somehow.

In the end, she insisted I give her my contact and the church I belong to that she will start attending my church from Sunday. I was very close to tears by her insistence and I had to give in to her demand to save myself from further attracting undue attention and I left.

This morning, she called to thank me again for the gesture and I was humbled.

These two incidences have taught me a great lesson that we don't need to have the world to put a smile on someone's face and restore hope in their lives.

As much as we can, let's help those in need and show true compassion and kindness especially to those who are unlikely to pay us back and we'll see how much of a beautiful place our world will be.

Share your experiences in the comment session

Thanks

Little kindness makes the world habitable, l.p. thanks