One thing I've realized is that people can actually be extremely kind and helpful. And surprising. A lot of times, these people are complete strangers.
For the most part, strangers are friendly. If you're lost, they are more than happy to give you directions. If you have a problem that they can help you with, they will help you.
Take, for instance, the time my computer malfunctioned a few weeks ago. When I called Apple Support, I was told that I needed to replace my battery. I ordered a new battery and was computer-less for a week. Then when the battery came, my computer still didn't charge correctly. They told me that it was either a cable issue or a port issue. None of my friends (or anyone I know here really) have a Mac. There is no Mac store here, either. The closest one is an hour and a half away. Therefore, I had to go to the library and ask random people if I could try their cables in my port.
It took awhile before someone could help me. Some people didn't have their cables with them, and others had a different model that had a different cable than mine. Even though they couldn't help me, they all said they wished they could help, and seemed to genuinely want to help. Finally, the one girl had a cable that worked in my port, which saved me the time and money of sending in my laptop to the Apple company to have them do maintenance on my port. I was so relieved and thankful that she was able to help me out like that, when she didn't even know me and didn't have any reason to do so.
Also, Starbucks baristas have always been nice to me. Maybe it's because I'm a regular (well, before I bought my own espresso machine). Once, I was having a really bad day, so I treated myself to a java chip frappuccino. The barista forgot to reduce the amount of ice in it like I had asked, so she remade it for me. Then she said I could just have the other one, because she would just throw it out anyway. I thought that that was really nice of her, especially because I was having a really bad day.
Then, the baristas started memorizing my order (grande hot black and white mocha latte, nonfat, no whip, and just one pump of each, please). It was always nice when I would go in and they would know my name and my order. Sometimes they would even see me waiting in the line (if it was a really long line) and they would write out my order on the cup and put it in line, so that I wouldn't have to wait as long for it.
Another time, I ordered my usual, but iced. I had talked to the barista a few times before, and we had discussed J.K. Rowling's new book The Casual Vacancy. She was really nice to me and gave me a discount on my drink, because at the time they were running a deal where if you brought your receipt in from earlier in the day, you got your next iced drink half off. But I hadn't bought a drink earlier, and she gave me the discount anyway. That was really nice of her.
It's not just strangers, either, that can be surprising in a good way. Sometimes, people you thought would never talk to you again reach out and contact you.
One such person is my ex-boyfriend, T.J. Last summer, when my life went to hell, he sent me a Facebook message. He was concerned about me because so many of my status updates had been really angry. To give you some background, T.J. and I had a really great relationship, but then he broke up with me when I went to college (taking me completely off-guard). Then, he dated my friend Rory the next summer, and decided that apparently she was worth doing long-distance with. So things ended pretty badly between us, and we hadn't talked in 4 years. Yet, he surprised me and reached out to me when I needed a friend. Now, we still talk once in awhile. It's really interesting actually.
Another of these people is my friend Nick. Nick and I have known each other for 4 years, and we used to hang out and party all the time. Then, when I had a falling-out with this guy Chris, Nick and all our other mutual friends picked him over me. However, last summer I got a temporary job, and it turned out that Nick was one of the managers there. He and I were reunited, and we went on to have many hilarious moments and conversations on the job. I thought that it wouldn't extend past the summer though, because I was moving away. But even though I moved away, he still contacts me every once and awhile with a "HEH!!!!!!!!!" and asks me if I'm solving any mysteries up in North Dakota (Haha. Inside joke.).
These instances make me happy because they remind me that not all people are bad, even if other people are treating me badly at the time.
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