Sometimes all it takes is the simplest of gestures to make someone’s day.
Canadian student Godfrey Coutto was travelling home from college on the bus when a stranger sat down beside him and reached for his hand.
Coutto obliged, assuming the man was offering a friendly handshake, but his fellow passenger didn’t let go, and leaned in for a hug.
The student soon discovered that the stranger’s name was Robert, and that he had cerebral palsy. Apparently Robert just wanted to reach out to someone on a busy bus.
But instead of recoiling in embarrassment or feeling self-conscious, Coutto was happy to offer his new friend some comfort…
I didn’t know if u can post this but I would liking to say thank you to the guy who was seating beside a special needs…
Posted by Only In Hamilton on Tuesday, 6 October 2015
As he explains:
“I was like “Yo, what’s going on? Am I getting pranked or something?” I wasn’t. I looked at him [and realised] he has special needs. I thought, “you know what, I’m just going to allow it. I’ll let him do his thing. I’ll comfort him.’””
It may not seem like much, but in an age when young men are often depicted as anti-social and aggressive, it’s nice to see a positive role model showing some compassion and empathy to a complete stranger.
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