As I drive the six hours to Minneapolis, I think about what a difference small acts of kindness, and gentility perhaps, make in fashioning one’s opinion of a place. One very large act of kindness—Annaleah’s willingness to give up a Saturday to show me around her town—certainly left me with a positive view of the area.
But smaller acts also gave me a feeling of nostalgia for Nebraska and Iowa as I drove out of town. When Annaleah and I returned to my car after our tour, she pulled into the private parking lot adjacent to my free parking space. I expressed doubt, but she said the attendant wouldn’t mind if she parked there for a few minutes while we said our goodbyes. Sure enough, the woman overseeing the lot replied to Annaleah’s request, “Oh, no, you can’t park here,” and then she laughed and waved her in.
The second came from my AirBNB hostess, a wonderful woman who recently celebrated her 74th birthday and rents out a spare bedroom in her home to raise money for her own travels. She and I had animated talks about travel, enjoying life no matter what one’s age, and how those birthdays sneak up on us. When I left, she gave me a hug and took my contact information so we could keep in touch.
I drove out of town so happy I had visited here.