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Something intriguing happened today. It was very minute, but you know how the small things mean a lot to people? Yeah, that.

I'm new to Benin and I'm more of the Dora the Explorer kind of person, so of course, it is very easy for me to get lost and then find my way again.

What happened this time was that I told a bus driver I would be alighting at Ring Road because I was going back to school, and someone on the bus told me not to worry, that the place the driver was stopping also led to Ring Road.

We alighted and she pointed out the way to get to Ring Road. She even offered to help me cross to the other side of the road, but I had to withdraw first, and she actually waited for me to finish. She held my hand while crossing, and when she realized I was heading to Ring Road simply because that was the only route I knew back to Ekosodin where I live, she took me through a shorter, easier, and less expensive route instead.

Going to Ring Road would have been a complete waste of time and money. The rowdiness of the place, the distance I'd have to trek before getting a bus, the aggressive agberos grabbing hands, all of that was avoided.

This experience reminded me of something my bubugaga would always say:

"What you don't know is bigger than you."

And honestly, it is true.

A lot of things are simply a result of a knowledge gap. Because that Ring Road route? It would have stressed me out badly.

To top it all off, when we got to Ekosodin, she paid for my transport fare. I mean, of course I can pay my bus fare, but did I feel like the next best thing after sliced bread? Absolutely.

It felt so grand, and that's why I would always say that as much as there are bad people, nonchalant people, and all the unkind people you can think of, there are also people who are so kind that you're left speechless by the kindness they display.

I'm such an appreciative person because you really didn't have to. There were a lot of people on that bus, but you chose to be kind to me.

That single act made a stressful day special.

Dearest reader, sometimes it's not even what you do, it's how you make people feel that matters the most. And nothing makes a person feel more special than a stranger being a lifesaver.

@favvy_Okwans🖤.