I can feel my head spun a bit as I walk to their table. Two ladies in red. We met on the elevator on our way to the swanky rooftop French Bistro in DTLA. I had overheard them saying it was one of the ladies' birthday, and they had been so nice as to wave to me from their table and even offering me a martini, "My treat!" she had mouthed from a far. To which I regretfully declined with a smile. I was already too buzzed from my Writer's Block. But they were nice, and the day was beautiful. So I went to say Happy Birthday to them before I leave. What happened (in a true click-bait style) was unbelievable.
I told them Happy Birthday. I thanked them for their kind gesture. I explained to them that I was ready to pack up my bag and go home to Indonesia because I feel there's nothing left for me here. Angel and Grace (let's called them that way, such fitting names) told me I shouldn't give up. Grace was married to a Dutch-Indonesian and she raved about how delicious Gado-gado and Rijstaffel are, and that Indonesian food is simply the best in the world. Grace compliment my necklace, given to me by my mom, and insist that I am here in LA for a reason; that we were there together for a reason. She told me that the elevator got held up 4 times before I came. 4 times it came but won't go up. Until I came. I almost cried in happiness and disbelief there, and Grace exclaimed: "Best birthday gift ever!" And over and over again they say: Don't go home just yet, don't give up.
Miracle is not only a comatose person woke up in the nick of time before they cut off the life support. Miracle is not only winning a jackpot or finding a treasure out of the blue. Miracle is not only parting the sea so people could pass, or turn water into wine. Miracle is finding the gentle arms of God around you, when you feel like you can't take it anymore. Miracle is looking at the cityscape of Los Angeles, defeated and broken inside, and have God sit next to you and say "Chill girl, you're good." And yes, miracle happens to me, to us, every single day. Everyone that I cross path with, every smile and every nice words, every laughter and every kindness, they are all miracles. It doesn't have to happen, but it did. And it happened for a reason.
But as much as I want to thank God for the miracles, I realize that the miracles can only happen because of God's other miracle: human. We are a pile of flesh and bones and liquid that moves, make decision, better ourselves. From the moment of our creation till the day that we die our body is a miracle in itself. Our action is another miracle. How we act, how we think, what we say, they all have impact to other people. Not merely in a lowest sense of 'protecting territory' or 'mating', but also to make ourselves better, or worse. What I did in LA can make an impact for a person in Indonesia, or a reader in South Africa. Let it sink for a moment. No other creature in this earth could make such a big impact to one another except us human, be it good or bad. The women choose to be nice to me. I choose to went over to say Happy Birthday. No strings attached, no hidden agenda, yet I was rewarded with a miracle.
The world is suffering. We see pain, poverty, hunger, and everything bad wherever we go. But do people have to be more unfortunate than you to receive your grace and kindness? It's easy to feel sorry for people who are visibly in need, but what about others who do not, cannot, show their pain? The ladies in red didn't have to be that nice to me, I was a nobody to them. Neither do I look in need for help that afternoon. But they choose to be nice to me, as many other before them. And I choose to be nice to them, just because I think it's nice to be nice. And it made a great difference for me. Imagine all the other people that you, that we, could have saved if only we did random act of kindness. Imagine all the smile, the happiness, the joy you could, we could, bring to this world.
Kindness is something that has to be given freely. Not because you think you should because God says so, or because society presses you to do so. Kindness should happen because you feel it's right, because you want to treat people the way you want to be treated. Kindness means stripping out another person's identity (clothing, facial features, skin color, belief, etc) in your head and see the human soul inside him/her. Kindness means no judgement, no prejudice. Kindness means loving others, just like a lot of religion have preached. And you know what, kindness feels so damn good; both for the giver and for the receiver.
I might never meet the ladies in red again. It all maybe just an inebriated night for all of us. But the miracle has happened and it is mine forever. On the day I was lost I was found again. On the day I was lonely I was embraced again. On the day I was broken I was mend again. Thank you God for your miracle, thank you ladies in red that made the miracle happen. Isn't human awesome?!
I told them Happy Birthday. I thanked them for their kind gesture. I explained to them that I was ready to pack up my bag and go home to Indonesia because I feel there's nothing left for me here. Angel and Grace (let's called them that way, such fitting names) told me I shouldn't give up. Grace was married to a Dutch-Indonesian and she raved about how delicious Gado-gado and Rijstaffel are, and that Indonesian food is simply the best in the world. Grace compliment my necklace, given to me by my mom, and insist that I am here in LA for a reason; that we were there together for a reason. She told me that the elevator got held up 4 times before I came. 4 times it came but won't go up. Until I came. I almost cried in happiness and disbelief there, and Grace exclaimed: "Best birthday gift ever!" And over and over again they say: Don't go home just yet, don't give up.
Miracle is not only a comatose person woke up in the nick of time before they cut off the life support. Miracle is not only winning a jackpot or finding a treasure out of the blue. Miracle is not only parting the sea so people could pass, or turn water into wine. Miracle is finding the gentle arms of God around you, when you feel like you can't take it anymore. Miracle is looking at the cityscape of Los Angeles, defeated and broken inside, and have God sit next to you and say "Chill girl, you're good." And yes, miracle happens to me, to us, every single day. Everyone that I cross path with, every smile and every nice words, every laughter and every kindness, they are all miracles. It doesn't have to happen, but it did. And it happened for a reason.
But as much as I want to thank God for the miracles, I realize that the miracles can only happen because of God's other miracle: human. We are a pile of flesh and bones and liquid that moves, make decision, better ourselves. From the moment of our creation till the day that we die our body is a miracle in itself. Our action is another miracle. How we act, how we think, what we say, they all have impact to other people. Not merely in a lowest sense of 'protecting territory' or 'mating', but also to make ourselves better, or worse. What I did in LA can make an impact for a person in Indonesia, or a reader in South Africa. Let it sink for a moment. No other creature in this earth could make such a big impact to one another except us human, be it good or bad. The women choose to be nice to me. I choose to went over to say Happy Birthday. No strings attached, no hidden agenda, yet I was rewarded with a miracle.
The world is suffering. We see pain, poverty, hunger, and everything bad wherever we go. But do people have to be more unfortunate than you to receive your grace and kindness? It's easy to feel sorry for people who are visibly in need, but what about others who do not, cannot, show their pain? The ladies in red didn't have to be that nice to me, I was a nobody to them. Neither do I look in need for help that afternoon. But they choose to be nice to me, as many other before them. And I choose to be nice to them, just because I think it's nice to be nice. And it made a great difference for me. Imagine all the other people that you, that we, could have saved if only we did random act of kindness. Imagine all the smile, the happiness, the joy you could, we could, bring to this world.
Kindness is something that has to be given freely. Not because you think you should because God says so, or because society presses you to do so. Kindness should happen because you feel it's right, because you want to treat people the way you want to be treated. Kindness means stripping out another person's identity (clothing, facial features, skin color, belief, etc) in your head and see the human soul inside him/her. Kindness means no judgement, no prejudice. Kindness means loving others, just like a lot of religion have preached. And you know what, kindness feels so damn good; both for the giver and for the receiver.
I might never meet the ladies in red again. It all maybe just an inebriated night for all of us. But the miracle has happened and it is mine forever. On the day I was lost I was found again. On the day I was lonely I was embraced again. On the day I was broken I was mend again. Thank you God for your miracle, thank you ladies in red that made the miracle happen. Isn't human awesome?!
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