A Gift Overdue
Two small acts of kindness that stayed with me — and the gratitude I finally expressed.
We often remember the big moments of our lives, but sometimes the smallest acts of kindness stay with us for much longer.
As part of the “A Gift Overdue” activity, I was asked to think about people who had made a positive difference in my life and whom I had never properly thanked. When I started thinking about it, I realized that there were people who had helped me in small moments that I had never forgotten.
This activity gave me an opportunity to revisit those moments, express my gratitude, and finally say the words that I should have said earlier.
The Person Who Shared His Calculator
There was a time when I was sitting for my final-term exams. Students were required to bring calculators for use during the exam, so I also brought my own calculator. However, right at the beginning of my exam, my calculator fell down and stopped working.
At that moment, I felt completely helpless. I started thinking, “How will I solve my paper if my calculator is not working?” Every student had their own calculator because it was necessary for the exam, and the time was also limited. The calculations in each question were lengthy and time-consuming, so having a working calculator was very important.
I looked around and immediately noticed a student who had his own calculator. I asked him if I could use his calculator for five minutes and told him that I would return it as soon as possible. I also handed him my calculator, which was not working.
At that point, I thought that at least I could solve one question with his calculator and then return it to him.
However, after five minutes, when I was about to return his calculator, he told me that I could continue using it and that there was no need to worry. At the same moment, my calculator suddenly started working again in his hands. He then told me that I should focus on solving my paper and use his calculator, while he would use mine.
What touched me the most was that he did not hesitate to let me use his calculator, even though he also had to solve the same paper and knew that the exam time was limited. He could have simply refused because he needed his calculator too, but instead, he chose to help me.
What made this moment even more meaningful was that he was almost a stranger to me. I knew him, but we had never really talked before. Despite that, he helped me at a moment when I genuinely felt helpless.
Unfortunately, in the hurry and pressure of the exam, I forgot to properly thank him. After the exam, he left because we were in an exam hall and could not talk much. Later, I realized that I should have thanked him for what he did for me.
It may have seemed like a small act to him, but for me, it was a moment that stayed in my mind. It reminded me that kindness does not always have to come from people we are close to. Sometimes, even a person we barely know can make a difficult moment easier simply by choosing to help.
The Person Who Helped Me at the Administration Office
Once, I had an issue related to my fee challan and needed to get it updated through the administration office. At first, I did not know the process or what I was supposed to do.
I randomly approached a person in the office and explained my problem to him. He calmly explained the procedure to me. He told me that first I had to get a signature from one person, then go to another person, and after that visit another office, and so on. There were several steps involved, and I could not understand the entire process clearly.
I followed his instructions and went to the professor whose signature I needed. At first, he was not in his office, so I waited and checked again. When I found him, he signed my form and calmly explained what I needed to do next.
I then went to the next office and completed the step as I had been instructed.
After that, I went back to the person who had initially guided me. He told me that I now had to go to another office, get another signature, and then submit my form. Once I completed those steps, my fee challan status would be updated.
I went to that office and found that the person there was very busy. He asked me to come back after fifteen minutes. I stood outside his office and started waiting for my turn.
A few minutes later, the same person who had guided me earlier came by. He recognized me as the person who had approached him a few minutes before. Coincidentally, he was also going to the same office. He spoke to the person inside, got the required signature, and helped me get my work done without making me wait any longer.
I was genuinely happy and relieved because I had thought I would have to come back to the office again to complete my work.
He did not know me at all, and he had no personal reason to help me. He simply chose to help me because he had the authority and the ability to make the process easier for me.
I was very thankful to him, and I made sure to say thank you.
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This experience also changed the way I looked at people working in administrative offices. Before this, I had often heard and experienced situations where people with authority would simply tell others to wait outside or would not make an effort to help.
But this person showed me that not everyone with authority behaves that way. He could have ignored my problem, but instead, he patiently guided me and then went one step further to help me complete my work.
It may have been a small thing for him, but for me, it was a reminder that kindness can make even a frustrating situation much easier.
Writing My Gratitude Letters
After remembering these two experiences, I decided to write a gratitude letter to each person.
Writing these letters made me realize something: I had remembered both incidents, but I had never really stopped to think about what they meant to me.
The first person taught me that kindness can come from someone we barely know. He had no obligation to share his calculator, yet he did.
The second person taught me that having authority does not have to create distance between people. It can also be used to make someone’s difficult situation easier.
While writing the letters, I found myself thinking about how many other people may have helped me in small ways that I never properly acknowledged.
My Gratitude Letters
The letter I wrote to the student who helped me during my final-term exam.
The letter I wrote to the person who helped me with my fee challan
What I Learned About Gratitude
This activity taught me that gratitude is not only about appreciating the major things people do for us. Sometimes, it is about remembering a small moment that someone else may have completely forgotten.
The calculator incident may have lasted only a few minutes, but at that moment, someone’s kindness helped me when I felt helpless.
The administration-office experience may have been a routine interaction for the person who helped me, but it made a frustrating process easier and changed the way I viewed people in similar positions.Most importantly, I learned that gratitude should not always be delayed.
We often think, “I will thank them later,” and then life becomes busy. Sometimes, “later” never comes.
The “A Gift Overdue” activity made me realize that appreciation is a gift — not only for the person receiving it, but also for the person expressing it.
A Thank You That Was Overdue
These letters were small, but the feelings behind them were not.
I am glad that I finally took the time to say thank you to two people whose small acts of kindness stayed with me.
Perhaps the biggest lesson I will take from this experience is simple:
If someone has made your life a little easier, your day a little better, or a difficult moment a little less difficult, do not wait too long to tell them.
Sometimes, a thank you that is overdue is still worth giving.
