HEARTS AND ARROWS

On a flight home recently, I sat in the front of the plane which is very rare since I am almost always on the B team. An older woman and what appeared to be her grandson sat next to me. At some point during boarding, Dad (a SWA employee) stepped on the plane to give his boy a kiss goodbye. See you next time and a kiss on the head. Of course, I wondered.....divorced? Widowed? Simply a single parent? Whatever the situation, I knew the boy, Jake, was leaving dad's town. Sad, I thought. But also sweet. There was certainly a tenderness in dad, grandma and the boy. Jake was anything but blue. Yellow in fact, carmel eyes with thick black lashes and a radiant smile. He seemed articulate, kind and connected. Throughout the flight, I listend to them chat and laugh and reminisce over a great weekend. When I glanced over, I noticed they were playing tic-tac-toe. However, grandma was not using O's as her mark. Instead, after each X Jake put down, she placed a perfect little heart in his path. He declared their game to be named Hearts and Arrows.

I melted. I have no idea how such a tiny gesture touched me in such an enormous way, but within an instant, I knew how much that little boy is loved. A warm towel after bath time, holiding the door open, giving a compliment, acknowledging a mistake. Sometimes the tiniest, most subtle expression can change someone's day. Perhaps I was premature in feeling sad for Jake. We constantly expect this BIG HUGE GRAND LOVE. Big feelings, big sacrifice, big payoff. MOVE MOUNTAINS! But I believe, a compilation of these small, barely detectable things can be an abundance in someone's life. Maybe if each and every day you commit one small act of kindness, you can make an impact. As Jake exited the plane, he looked back at me with a toothy grin and said I win. I win at Hearts and Arrows.

That best portion of a good man's life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. -William Wodsworth