OMG Digital Magazine OMG Issue 269 27th July 2017 | Page 6

OMG Digital Magazine | 269 | Thursday 27 July 2017 • PAGE 6
SoulFood
The Kind Gesture that Helps
Elizabeth Gilbert Find the Light
On Her Worst Days
By Elizabeth Gilbert
Some years ago, I was stuck on a crosstown bus in New
York City during rush hour. Traffic was barely moving.
The bus was filled with cold, tired people who were
deeply irritated—with one another; with the rainy,
sleety weather; with the world itself. Two men barked
at each other about a shove that might or might not
have been intentional. A pregnant woman got on, and
nobody offered her a seat. Rage was in the air; no mercy
would be found here. We live in a hard world, my friends. Sometimes it’s extra
difficult to be a human being. Sometimes you have a
bad day. Sometimes you have a bad day that lasts
for several years. You struggle and fail. You lose jobs,
money, friends, faith, and love. You witness horrible
events unfolding in the news, and you become fearful
and withdrawn. There are times when everything
seems cloaked in darkness. You long for the light but
don’t know where to find it.
But as the bus approached Seventh Avenue, the driver
got on the intercom. “Folks,” he said, “I know you’ve had
a rough day and you’re frustrated. I can’t do anything
about the weather or traffic, but here’s what I can do.
As each one of you gets off the bus, I will reach out my
hand to you. As you walk by, drop your troubles into
the palm of my hand, okay? Don’t take your problems
home to your families tonight—just leave ‘em with me.
My route goes right by the Hudson River, and when I
drive by there later, I’ll open the window and throw
your troubles in the water. Sound good?” But what if you are the light? What if you’re the very
agent of illumination that a dark situation begs for?
traffic. But I do have some influence on everyone I brush
up against, even if we never speak or learn each other’s
name. How we behave matters because within human
society everything is contagious—sadness and anger,
yes, but also patience and generosity. Which means we
all have more influence than we realize.
It was as if a spell had lifted. Everyone burst out
laughing. Faces gleamed with surprised delight. People
who’d been pretending for the past hour not to notice
each other’s existence were suddenly grinning at each
other like, is this guy serious?
Oh, he was serious.
At the next stop—just as promised—the driver reached
out his hand, palm up, and waited. One by one, all the
exiting commuters placed their hand just above his
and mimed the gesture of dropping something into
his palm. Some people laughed as they did this, some
teared up—but everyone did it. The driver repeated the
same lovely ritual at the next stop, too. And the next. All
the way to the river.
this man and ask myself, What can I do, right now, to
be the light? Of course, I can’t personally end all wars,
or solve global warming, or transform vexing people
into entirely different creatures. I definitely can’t control
That’s what this bus driver taught me—that anyone can
be the light, at any moment. This guy wasn’t some big
power player. He wasn’t a spiritual leader. He wasn’t
some media-savvy “influencer.” He was a bus driver—
one of society’s most invisible workers. But he possessed
real power, and he used it beautifully for our benefit.
When life feels especially grim, or when I feel particularly
powerless in the face of the world’s troubles, I think of
No matter who you are, or where you are, or how
mundane or tough your situation may seem, I believe
you can illuminate your world. In fact, I believe this is
the only way the world will ever be illuminated—one
bright act of grace at a time, all the way to the river.