As you may know, two bombs were detonated at the finish line of the Boston Marathon today. 2 people are confirmed dead, and many more are seriously injured, with amputations and all. And, I was there, standing nothing but a block away, watching the marathon with my friend and my mom, holding up my sign that read 'run like you stole something.'
When the first bomb went off, I jumped. Everything around me vibrated, and I felt the blast in my heart. About 20 seconds later, the second one went off. That's when we pushed our way out of the crowd, and just started walking away. By now, I was scared, and kind of nauseous. People around us were screaming, and just running. Running like they stole something. Little kids were crying, and their mother and fathers were comforting them, "its going to be ok. You're ok." We all thought we were being attacked by terrorists.
Our car was parked 5 miles away at the Alewife train station. They shut the trains down, so we had to walk, or get a cab. We figured that we couldn't get a cab in Boston, so we walked to Cambridge to try to get one there. We finally found one cab letting someone out. The guy told us he couldn't take us because his shift was over. My mother pleaded with him, and he finally let us because he saw how distressed we were. We are all so grateful to him for taking us to Alewife, even though his shift was over. We tipped him generously for his act of kindness.
By now, I was feeling like I had to throw up. We went into a Bertuchi's (spelt that wrong) so I could splash water on my face. The manager offered me a free glass of ice water. The second act of kindness in one day.
What does it take for everyone around you to suddenly be kind? A bomb? After this, I'm going to try and show random acts of kindness in my daily life, to repay the kindness that I've received.
You, too, should try to be kind to those around you, especially those in need. You may not even know the person, but it will mean the world to them.
-Alex Rashid
May the odds be EVER in your favor!