There are so many human-interest stories that fly under the radar because they’re not deemed newsworthy compared to current events. But the summer months give us more time to consider lesser-known stories that are still so important to share.
Such is the case when it comes to a story about two women who found themselves at Gate A-4 at the Albuquerque Airport Terminal. A senior citizen became confused when her flight was delayed, and airline staff needed someone to help her understand what was going on.
The woman in distress spoke Arabic and didn’t understand that her scheduled trip would go ahead, but just a little later in the day. She became hysterical and “wailed,” according to Naomi Shihab Nye, a poet, who shared the details of the event in the moving video below.
Thankfully, Nye was able to understand the older woman, who was trying to get to El Paso for a surgery, and explained what was going on. However, once Nye had calmed her down she went that little bit further.
In the video — which is definitely worth watching — Nye explains the subsequent events that transpired that particular day. The sharing of cookies among all the passengers; the airline breaking out free apple juice; and the sense of friendship among complete strangers that led Nye to share:
“I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and I thought, This is the world I want to live in. The shared world. Not a single person in that gate — once the crying of confusion stopped — seemed apprehensive about any other person.”
The incident at Gate A-4 is a perfect example of all the good that can happen when we open our hearts to kindness. These are the tales we should remember, year after year.
