Mon 30/03/15 - Touched by a stranger!!! No, not like that!!! Lol Xxx

Being in a foreign land, not really knowing anyone (or at least to the level that I do when back home), I am more aware of interacting with people.

When in the UK, it's easy for me to be helpful or in my own world and ignore strangers, but when I'm in a place which is quite literally foreign to me, trying to work out how to get to where or make sense of anything I need assistance with, a kind stranger really makes the difference.

I love to observe and notice the difference in the cities, countries and cultures I see wherever I visit.

What has stood out most to me is the gracious nature of those I've interacted with thus far. The hotel staff at the front desk receive your credit card with both hands, with a slight bow (a cultural thing to receive cards and money with both hands). When taking the Metro in Singapore, people consciously get out of your way when it's busy (or at least they did when I tried to move through the crowds and get off the tube with my suitcase trying not to crush anyone's feet!). And someone deliberately went out of their way to stop and make sure that I was ok has really stuck with me.

Now, these kind gestures probably didn't mean much to those people, but for me, not knowing nothing about where I was- it really made the difference (as did a less than pleasant interaction with a beatcchhh shortly after coming off the airport- and she was British no less! Lol).

I'm not sure about this but I would probably hazard a guess that random acts of kindness could have saved a life or maybe many more. I could easily imagine someone having a horrible day (week, month or even multiple years!) and that kindly smile or hello from a stranger could have been the difference between life and suicide. Ok, so maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but I'm guessing somewhere it's happened like that!!!

So, I guess what I'm saying is just be the aligned you, wherever you can, the happy brilliant you and share that beautiful smile of yours- and ya never know- it could be a lifesaver!!!

Happy smiling!!! Lots of love, Nick Xxx