We should be a bit kinder to each other

Last night, around eight o'clock. I'm walking up the escalator towards the station hall of Utrecht with a full bag of sushi and once at the top I see the biggest horror that can happen to a person. A woman is violently emptying her entire stomach contents onto the ground. Yikes.

Even worse for her is that not only I, but about twenty people behind me on the escalator are witnessing this. Some turn their faces away. A group of teenagers starts laughing dirty and quickly grabs their phones. I feel a wave of vicarious shame wash over me as I quickly walk past. What can I do? Ask if she’s okay? No, duh, she’s not okay. I keep walking. Ten steps further. Twenty. Like a disaster tourist drawn to the drama, I look back one more time at the scene. No, shit. I have to do something. People are just laughing at her, this is mega sad.

Suddenly I think of the sushi. That bag is full of napkins. I turn around, walk back towards the woman and awkwardly hand her a stack. “Uh, are you okay?” She looks at me with wide, frightened eyes and I see her gaze shift from shame to gratitude. My nostrils fill with a smell that I was glad I hadn’t smelled in ages. ‘My god, this is so, so embarrassing. I don’t understand it, I suddenly felt really unwell.“ ”Ah, no worries, it happens to the best of us,“ I say. She wipes her mouth clean and apologizes again. ”I uh, will just let them know that I threw up here, so they can at least clean it up. It’s sweet of you to want to help me.“

Two minutes later and I walk home with a satisfied feeling. Super narcissistic, but somehow I feel better about myself. I saw someone who needed help, and I didn’t look away. It’s really bizarre to see how rude we’ve been lately. Selfish. I wouldn’t even be surprised if tomorrow you find a video of a woman throwing up at Utrecht Central on Dumpert, under the guise of: ‘funny, look at this woman puke’. Disgusting. Honestly, we should be a bit kinder to each other. And however airy-fairy it sounds, it all starts with yourself.

So inspired by my vomit friend from yesterday, I actually think you should do something nice for someone today. For a stranger, for your family: it doesn’t matter. Call your grandma, send a handwritten card to that friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time: do something. Because a small gesture can sometimes have a big impact. Even in your own head.