Ribo visits the San Jose airport, leaves shaken

I recently visited the San Jose airport while dropping someone off.
I was not traveling, and as such, was not loaded down with belongings.
I was able to act quickly when I saw a man's stack of belongings start to topple.
I caught some of them, and helped him pick up others of them.
The man was apparently touched by my gesture, and was grateful.
He took my face in his hands and said, "You are beautiful. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."
A comment from a random stranger, after a gesture from a random stranger.
I was profoundly moved by his comment and gesture - but at the same time I wryly thought that I must not be beautiful, ha ha, if he was pointing out that someone might tell me otherwise (?).
I drove home crying a little bit, and have cried a little off and on since then. They were happy cries touched also by melancholy.
[That's me - body like a melon, face like a collie. Well, maybe not exactly. I am just in a self-pitying mood.]
Gosh, it's been So (!) Long (!) since someone touched me and offered me kind words!!!
I would be doing random acts of kindness every second of every day (and I do always look for opportunities to do kind things, I believe) if it would get me kind words and the touch of a gentle hand on my face or arm.
Whah!!!
This post ©reated by Ribonuff on November 14, 2007.