The good deed - A small act of kindness can travel a long way.

Brianna Graham, a young professional in her late 20s, rushed through a crowded city street on her daily way to work.

The young woman had always been part of a busy and productive group of people.

Although she was an independent artist, her life was a whirlwind of deadlines, meetings, and an ever-growing to-do list.

She barely had time to catch her breath, let alone notice the people around her.

As always, her quick pace led her to the small, lively cafè on the corner of a bustling crossing.

There, she would walk right up to the long queue and, without glancing around, join the line of waiting customers.

In thought, she already laid out her brief order: A black coffee to go with a dollop of whipped cream.

As Brianna waited her turn a tad impatiently, she saw an old woman at the front of the queue looking rather confused and scattered.

"I’m so sorry! In my forgetfulness, I must have left my wallet at home!"

The old lady hastily searched her bag, and looked anxiously around, to see a long row of impatiently waiting customers behind her.

The employee, a grumpy-looking woman rolled her eyes because of this inconvenience.

A young boy standing behind the poor old lady offered his help without hesitation, being the only one in the entire store who stepped up to help a fellow human in need.

"Don’t worry Mrs, I can pay that for you!" He politely smiled at the stressed old lady and reached out to the counter to hand the unfriendly cashier the change.

The face of the old lady lit up, as the young boy paid for her small coffee, thanking him many times for his kindness.

"Of course, I am happy to help you out!"

Replied the young boy modestly, and made his way out of the café, his step being lighter and merrier than before he entered the place.

That little incident evoked Brianna to think.

She suddenly felt ashamed that she had reacted so impatient, as the old lady searched for her wallet.

Plus that she didn’t even think about helping the poor woman.

She only thought about how this inconvenience would affect her perfectly planned routine and put her behind schedule.

The young boy was the only one in a group of so many grown-ups who reacted the way one ought to, and stepped up to help an old woman.

As Brianna continued to walk to her atelier, she thought about how ignorant she just behaved, and made a resolution to change this in the future.

She would try to become more aware throughout her day, paying attention to her fellow people, and not just thinking about her own business.

Before Brianna even crossed the street, there opened up an opportunity for her to follow the good example of the kindhearted boy, and be the one stepping up to help.

A young, intimidated girl stood in the street, obviously overwhelmed by the loud traffic.

Brianna walked up to the girl and offered to help her cross the road.

Together they made their way through all of the loudly honking cars, safely arriving on the other side of the street.

"Thank you so much for taking the time to help me. I tried to cross the street, but I couldn’t get through all the traffic. You’ve made my day!"

Brianna felt her heart jump, and she smiled softly at the young girl:

"And you made mine!"

After that, Brianna joyfully trudged to her atelier, and she discovered that when one does a good deed the step gets lighter and the spirit brighter.

And your heart opens up as if the whole world wants to be your friend.

A young man oversaw this act of kindness, and his eyes lit up.

He saw an old, homeless man sitting on the corner of the street, shielding his eyes from the cold wind.

Without a second thought, he marched up to the poor soul and kindly asked him to accept the sandwich he was just about to eat himself. The old man looked up at the young one, his eyes full of gratitude.

A warm feeling filled both of them and they would go through their day so much more fulfilled than before.

Another woman who was walking by saw this beautiful gesture, and it made her think about her sick neighbour who was old and didn’t have much, just like the old man on the street corner.

As she was on her way to a supermarket nearby, she bought some extra groceries and would later drop them off at a lonely neighbour of hers.

The two of them would talk, and the old lady would ask the young one to stay over for a cup of tea. It would be a wonderful evening, filled with laughter and joyous conversation, making the old neighbour feel way less lonely and way happier since a very long time.

The selfless gesture of the young boy at the beginning of the story has travelled a long way, given forth from person to person.

It inspired many more people to do good deeds and be friendly to their fellow humans.

Encouraging each other and doing a good deed is an easy way to lift someone’s spirit, and it helps to make the world a better place.

So let’s not go through our day as ignorant and uninterested as Brianna did in the beginning, but rather walk about with eyes wide open, and ready to lend a helping hand.

Brianna made a resolution that fateful day and promised herself to be more aware and friendly.

With a small act of kindness, you can easily brighten up someone’s day and inspire many others to do the same.