20 Cents

Today at the Vic Park train station, this gentleman asked if he could have change for a 5 dollar note for the ticket machine. Either that or if one of us had 20 cents so he could purchase his train ticket. The other Asian guy just stared stupidly ahead while fiddling with his bicycle, Lin was on the phone so I dug around in my wallet so I could give the poor guy 20 cents. He was wearing a suit and tie so I thought he was in genuine need since he took out his 5 dollar note looking around for change.

What I didn’t imagine was for this guy to thank me profusely for the 20 cents. To me, that 20 cents maybe could have topped up and bought me some fries or something at McDonald’s but to see this guy (I’m guessing in his 50s or 60s) thanking me even as our train arrived just made my day. I did not expect to get it back, for I did not even know him for him to track me down and return the money. So as we reached Perth Train Station, I forgot about that little incident and happily was chatting with Lin when I bumped into David, who was heading to uni. So we ended up talking for a minute or 2 and then Lin taps me on the shoulder, gesturing just past the SmartRider gates.

And there was the same guy who borrowed that 20 cents from me, handing me back 20 cents and thanking me again for lending it to him. I was gob smacked that he even returned the money since 20 cents can’t really get you much these days. That just brought me think, some people really take a lot of things for granted, I know I’m guilty of that sometimes. I suppose when you’re caught up with the whirlwind of life, you tend to forget the little things in life. It’s the little things in life that really matter.

Someone sent me this forwarded e-mail recently which describes some natural highs:
1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favourite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry).
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15 The beach
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19 Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you’re beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
27. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
29. Playing with a new puppy or kitten.
30. Having someone play with your hair.
31. Sweet dreams.
32. Hot chocolate.
33. Road trips with friends.
34. Swinging on swings.
35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
36. Making chocolate chip cookies.
37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
38. Holding hands with someone you care about.
39. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
40. Watching the expression on someone’s face as they open a much desired present from you.
41. Watching the sunrise.
42. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
43. Knowing that somebody misses you.
44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
45. Knowing you’ve done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

Never have I learnt the value of treasuring the little things so well.