Q&A: What small act of kindness was I once shown that I will never forget?

Every month, I publish an answer to a reader’s question. Here’s a transcript of my answer to the reader question about acts of kindness:

Hoi Lisanne, what small act of kindness were you once shown that you will never forget? Groetjes from Holland!

I love that question. Thank you for sending it to me. The first act of kindness that comes to mind is when we were on a motorcycle trip through Vietnam in 2016. We bought a motorbike in Đà Lạt for only a few hundred dollars, and then drove up to the north, to finish our trip after 30 days in Hanoi.

I experienced the trip on the back of our motorbike, my hair blowing back and forth in the wind, while we passed rice fields, and bumpy roads due to continued flooding, while my boyfriend navigated us through the infamous traffic.

It was all too beautiful, from vast agricultural plateaus, where tea and timber grow in equal number, to misty peaks and sharp hairpin turns. The rugged border with Laos includes perilous passes over raging rivers along the western road, which eventually leads to the breathtaking limestone landscapes of the northern region.

Vietnam is known for its motorcycle routes, the most famous one includes the Ho Chi Minh Trail or the Hoi Van Pass. In Vietnam, motorcycles have historically been essential for daily life, providing vital mobility for transporting people and goods throughout the country.^{[13] [6]}

What I loved most about this whole trip, was how we passed places far away from highways and traffic signs, at times losing roads entirely as Google Maps seemed clueless. We visited small villages where the greatest wealth people had was each other, where playing soccer was the greatest form of entertainment and pastime, and where people had never seen a foreigner in person before.

It’s in those moments we received multiple acts of kindness from all kinds of people. Once, the engine part broke, and we found ourselves stranded with no garage in sight to help. A bystander offered his help and ended up welding the part right then and there.

There was another time when people welcomed us into their homes, offering rice wine and dinner with their families. And then there was the time we were given an extra litre of gasoline, just when we needed it most, because it turned out there was no gas station for miles.

Those small acts of kindness that were offered to us during this trip truly stayed with us, and I will not forget them.

What small act of kindness is offered to you that you still remember? Let me know in the comments!

Thank you for reading. This reader’s question is part of the Ask Me Anything series. I´d love to answer more of your interesting questions and get a sense of your interests. If you have questions to extend this Ask Me Anything section, please let me know. I like to hear from you. Send me your question via team@lisanneswart.com

Here is a list of the last 3 readers’ questions I’ve answered:

• What is adversity?
• How much of one’s success do I attribute to luck versus hard work?
• Is there a motto or principle I live by?

» Explore more answers to thought-provoking questions