The Most Important Thing I saw in London

This spring break, I had the opportunity to go to London. I love British literature (Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice anyone?), architecture, and art history, so London was basically my dreamland. I toured Westminster Abbey, which held memorials and the burial sights of some of my favorite authors and had absolutely stunning art and architecture. I got to see the view of the city from the London Eye and on the last day my friend and I went to the national gallery and saw pieces by artist like Bellini, Degas, Turner, and Monet. While I could go on about all of these sights forever, there is something else I saw that was even more beautiful. 

On the second night in England we went to a pizza place for dinner. As I was scarfing down way too many slices of pizza, I watched a man who was late for work hurry into the restaurant and throw his coat over a chair as he ran back into the kitchen. Because he was in such a rush, his aim failed him, and the coat quickly slid to the floor. A waitress witnessed this, picked up the coat, and hung it securely over the chair. As I watched that scene unfold, I realized that her small act of kindness made the man’s stressful evening go a little bit smoother, and he did not even know it. To me, this act of selfless love was the most moving sight I saw in London because I began to consider the thousands of times I had been loved and did not know it. 

Just consider, how many times your mom wanted the last piece of cake, but she left it for you?  How many times your siblings wanted to hang out with friends, but sacrificed that time to spend time with you? How many times your roommate vacuumed the room and you did not even know it? We all have different ways of communicating our love, which can leave us feeling lonely in the world; however, when you stop to think about moments like these, you realize that you are loved and supported in ways you will never even know. Maybe it is tempting to just wish people would say “Hey look how selfless I am! I saved this piece of cake for you! See how much I love you!”; however, it is also amazing to think that everyday people love you not so you will recognize them, but just because they want to make your life just that little bit better.  

There is a lot of conflict and division in this world, but seeing this waitress selflessly help her coworker, I was encouraged by the fact that humans are instinctually selfless for the ones they love. If we all took a queue from those instincts and tried to consciously be selfless too, and not just for the ones we love, the world would be a much better place. 

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