If there’s one thing my dad always wishes for me, whether it’s for my birthday or my travels, it’s that good people surround me.
For the longest time, I have never thought too deeply about his wish. I’ve always been picky when it comes to choosing my friends. What more could he possibly mean?
But recently, I finally understood.
We are, in many ways, the sum of the people we meet and choose to spend our time with. Not just the ones we call friends, neighbors or colleagues — the ones who stay in our lives for years. Sometimes it’s the people we meet only once: The ones whose names we forget, or never even have the chance to ask for. They appear briefly and then disappear from our lives entirely.
A few days ago, I was sitting in O’Hare Airport. Before going to my gate, I decided to have one final Chicago moment and get a Chicago-style hot dog. While I was there, I ended up talking to one of the airport employees, the kindest Midwestern man, who struck up a conversation with me as we shared fries.
At some point I asked him what he was drinking. When he heard that chai latte was my favorite, he immediately asked if I wanted one.
Before I could properly respond, he got up and said, “Stay right here,” and went to get me one.
It was such a small gesture. A five-minute interaction with someone I will probably never see again.
Moments like that happen everywhere.
Sometimes it’s someone helping you carry something heavy when your hands are full. Sometimes it’s a stranger standing up for you in a situation where things feel unfair.
That’s when my dad’s wish started to make more sense. Being surrounded by good people isn’t only about building the right circle of friends. It’s also about the countless small interactions that shape how the world feels day to day.
There is one catch, though.
If you want to be surrounded by good people, you also have to be one of them. Most of the time it doesn’t require anything big.
Kindness has a way of multiplying. The more you give it, the more often it seems to appear around you, sometimes in the most unexpected places.
Aizere Yessenkul is a NU-Q Communication senior and author of “Yes-sentials.” She can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
