The other day, my friend told me quite an inspiring story.  She was waiting at the bus stop when she saw an envelope sticking out between two seats.  In case someone had lost it, she picked it up and looked it over.  On the front of the envelope was written "To you, yes you."  She proceeded to open up the note to look for a name that she could return it to.  Inside the envelope was a letter addressed "Dear friend" and the letter went on to say how God loved her and how she was working so hard and should be so proud of herself.  The letter was signed with a K.

This letter made my friends day and inspired her to leave her own day-brightening notes for others who happen to stumble upon them.  What struck me about this story, however, is that the person who wrote this note to my friend will never know that she found it or who my friend is.  The only satisfaction the author will get is knowing that he or she left it there at that bus stop.  

I think this teaches two very valuable things.  The first being that life requires leaps of faith.  Leaving a note for a stranger at a bus stop is a risk.  The author receives no confirmation that his or her letter has been received.  For all they know, it could have blown away in the wind or it could have been thrown away in a trash can.  Taking a risk requires faith and faith is so important.  Without having faith that you can succeed or that something pure and good still exists, it is hard to find meaning or purpose in anything. The second thing I drew from this story is that action is important.  The action is what shows the character of a person.  Whoever left the note did not want to be thanked or recognized in any way.  Just knowing the positive impact their letter could have on someone's day was enough for them and this is truly admirable.  It is commonly said that to give is better than to receive and I agree with this.  But how many people can say that they would take as much satisfaction in giving without receiving some acknowledgement of their gift or sacrifice?

So, who are you?  

Do you believe in leaps of faith?  Have you taken any recently?  

Do you take action?  Have you taken action knowing your generosity will not be recognized?

If you found a note like the one in the story, what would you do?

Good deeds are meant to be seen so that they may be repeated.

Why does it seem as though the world's strangest people are always on the subway with you?  There's always a person with a disgusting illness who seems to only be coughing in your direction.  Then there's the couple that makes out for the entirety of the trip.  My personal favorite is the young punk kid who looks at you like he'll kill you if you don't break eye contact immediately.  The subway also transports a variety of people to their jobs and these individuals have mastered the art of lightly napping while sitting up.  In addition, there is always that one young woman who only rides the subway when she's desperate and you can tell this by the death grip that she has on her designer purse.
Riding the subway is an eye opening experience especially for young, sheltered suburbanites much like my younger sister.  Taking her into the city on the subway was a normal part of my day but probably the most terrifying part of hers.  My sister is a great kid and is still gaining exposure as she gets older and I am trying to assist her in this little by little.  As much as she is growing and learning, she has been unable to shake her fear of homeless people.  Riding the subway then, as you can imagine, is quite a scary experience for her as the stations usually house at least a few homeless individuals.  My sister holds her belongings close to her and eyes everyone with suspicion.
Although her suspicion is usually without grounds, it's not always a bad idea to take caution.  The subway stations are often the feeding ground for pick pocketing predators or generally threatening people.  My friend and I were returning from dinner in the city when we were met by a man dressed in old military clothes holding the leash to his pit bull terrier that was also dressed in military clothing.  Strange, I know.  My friend and I walked as fast as was humanly possible past the man and his attack dog to the other end of the station.
Public transportation is usually pretty convenient and helpful when it comes to traveling into and through the city.  It also serves the purpose of endless entertainment by simply observing people.  As fun as it is to observe others while riding the subway, I can only imagine how people perceive me while I am their fellow passenger.