As I arrived in Hamburg half an hour ago, I made my way to the cab stand and took the first one. The driver greeted me with a smile, and I told him my destination. I asked him how he was doing, and he replied politely. Throughout the ride, we chatted about the weather (of course, it is Hamburg), the city, and restaurants.
As we arrived at my destination, the driver turned to me and said something that took me by surprise. "You know, in 30 years of experience as a driver, nobody has ever asked me how I was doing."
I was stunned by his words and just said: "Well, you're being nice. This must happen at least once a month to you!" (And this still would not be too often!)
How could it be that nobody had ever asked this actually really polite man how he was doing? What does that say about our society, where we can be so focused on our own lives that we forget to take a moment to show kindness to others?
As I got out of the cab, I thanked the driver for the ride and for sharing his thoughts with me. I made a mental note to try to be more mindful of the people around me and to show them some simple appreciation whenever I can.
Perhaps, if we all took a moment to show a little more kindness to those we encounter, we could make the world a better place. It doesn't take much effort to ask someone how they are doing, but it can make a huge difference in someone's day. So let's all make a bit more of an effort to spread a little more kindness and appreciation in the world.