The single act that changed my day

As I was walking towards the tram stop I noticed an approaching tram. If I only ran, I would catch it. I decided to run and not have to wait 7minutes.

As I was running, I heard people shouting and it took a while until I realised that it was directed at me. I stopped and looked back. An old man pointed at my umbrella - it had to drop out of my backpack and was now in the middle of the tram tracks.

I looked at the tram, I looked at my umbrella. There were now two trams approaching and it was too dangerous for me to cross back to get my umbrella. The old man and I looked at each other. I was about to give up on my umbrella when he decided to limp his way to go and get it. He picked it up and moved away from the tracks. It all happened very quickly. He then took slow careful steps to me and handed my umbrella to me.

I smiled at him and thanked him. He smiled back and carried on with his day. I spent the rest of my day feeling very happy and connected to something beyond myself.

I realised what it means when people say that progress in any form - be it personal or professional, stems from the decision of one person to act. I missed the tram but gained a lot more than 7minutes that afternoon.