There are constantly news reports of movie stars and athletes donating huge amounts of money to charities, or giving of their time to underprivileged children. As great as these acts are, I believe that it is 'the quiet things that no one ever knows' that mean more to people. Two instances, one recent and one years past, have reinforced this principle for me.
A week or two ago, I asked an individual to look over an assignment of mine, and make any corrections necessary to refine it. I received an email soon afterwards simply complimenting me. This email spoke of the improvements that I had made in this particular subject, and how enjoyable it was to read over the assignment. Writing this email probably took less than a minute, but it really meant a lot to me when I read it. This act was one of the quiet things that nobody will be aware of but me.
In the year 1996, my family and I took the Carnival cruise line to Mexico. I was too little for many of the grown-up activities, so, during the day, I spent my vacation locked inside what seemed at the time to be a prison (the red bars around the room didn't help that image). Every night when my brothers and I would return back to our room, we came to expect an Andes mint to be resting on our pillow. It almost was a mystery to our young minds how it happened. The family would only be gone for a short time, return home, and the room was made up and topped off with a mint on the pillow. Out of the whole trip, the Andes mint was my favorite part. As the maid or housekeeper was cleaning up our mess and leaving the mint, I'm sure he or she did not realize that that simple act would be remembered for years to come. Again, one of those quiet things that no one will ever know.
The slightest incidents in our daily routines can have lasting effects on other people. Other peoples' actions have been sources of upliftment, courage, and strength for me, even though they were the "quiet things that no one ever knows."
"The quiet things that no one ever knows" - Brand New