Today I joined a Microsoft Excel class to learn, pass an exam, and earn a small certificate. Toward the end of the class but before the exam the instructor paused and told us he always felt a bit sad at this time because he (in his words) grew attached to the participants, and then they got their certificate and exited quietly to avoid disrupting the rest of the test-takers.
The class duration was only from 9 am to 1:30 pm. We didn’t do introductions or share a lunch break or even have any banter. But this gentleman shared with us an unexpected moment of connection. It was genuine and much appreciated. It went along with his teaching style, which was very individualized and perceptive.
To me it served as a reminder that there are many kind, good-natured people out there if you will just pay attention. They sometimes go unnoticed amid all the noisy, ugly sloppiness and indifference that you see on a daily basis. But those small warm gestures, spoken or unspoken, help you to acknowledge the bad while not dwelling on it. They allow you to focus on the good.
pseudoisaac 