The morning commute to the Loop is a symphonic dance. You rush up the stairs in a crowd of people, push each other to get in front of the door, in hopes of finding a seat, only to realize that the train is already full. The beat becomes faster and faster as each person who shifts in their seat may be the next one off and you can set down your legs and all the bags in your hand that are already a tangled mass. Someone finally gets off and you push your way through the sea of tired-eyed Chicagoans to that blue, stained, seat of relief. It is almost impossible to not touch someone during this performance, and right as you sit down, your bag hits the person in the seat next to you.

You receive a death stare that stabs your soul.

You are no longer smiling in relief. Their look was contagious. You give a dirty look back, and then the person next to you bumps their bag into you and the snowball effect has taken off, yet again.

But, you have a choice. You can smile at them, say sorry, and ask how their morning is.

Today, during my El dance, I chose to break the snowball effect and start one of my own. I did not let this person get to me: Maybe she was sick, her job could suck and she may have relationship problems? I thought of all of these things and how I did not have any of them at the moment. I was pretty lucky and maybe by showing some love to this human I could make, at least her day, a little smoother.

She did not say anything, but I could tell she felt bad. It was her stop and she looked at me and asked if I wanted my boyfriend to take her seat. She even gave me a smile. I smiled back. I was glad that I showed kindness, even when I was not treated that way to begin with.

My lesson today was not over yet.

My boyfriend and I walked out of the train and had to part ways: I was off to the coffee shop and he was off to school. Before he crossed the street, he pulled me in and kissed my nose because it was cold. He hugged me and we couldn’t let go. He started to cross and I yelled out, “I love you so much have a good day!” He came back across the street and kissed me once more.

While this was going on two people were watching. One was a guy in his mid-20s. He saw our love and still proceeded to hit on me. The other was an older woman who said I was lucky. She said more people needed to share love like that. I completely ignored the guy who is part of the reason we have songs about “side bitches” and infidelity. I started talking to the lady and we talked about how everyone needs to be more loving toward one another, whether it is in the street, or on the train.

She said she was going through a rough time because her mom is very sick, but she will not take that stress out onto other people. Instead, she tries to see the good in the world and bring out positivity. I hugged her and said I was glad we talked. We both walked away smiling, knowing that a smile can be contagious.