Underneath: Hidden Gem Series

The Emerald Isle

Recently, I graduated with my Masters Degree, finally. To celebrate this huge milestone, I thought backpacking abroad would be an excellent adventure, and it was. There were many challenges on the road. Navigating unfamiliar territory, public transportation snafus, and currency confusion were just a few.

However, before embarking on my trip, I was worried about clothing. I love clothes, shoes, and overpacking, but this time I knew I had to take the bare essentials. Before I left, I made sure I packed light but crafty. I did well. From Ireland to Austria, I had everything I needed–though clearly not enough.

Full disclosure, along my travels, I scooped up loads of souvenirs. Across Europe–from London, Brussels, Paris, and Germany to Vienna and back–I collected small mementos. But, in Ireland, I splurged. Among the treasure trove of goods, six items still rank as favorites: an oversized dark green cable-knit sweater that zips like a coat, a graphite-grey wool hat with a shamrock at one side, a bright-green designer dress–a hybrid of a wrap and an Empire Waist fit–a fancy checker-pattern shawl (squares of cream, sage, and tufts blue), a Kelley-green sweatshirt one Limerick trad flute player found so obnoxious he teased me about it, and finally, an ice blue t-shirt stamped with The Temple Bar logo, though I did not go there because their Guinness was too expensive.

By the time I returned to Dublin from my circle of Europe, I had bought a roller bag just to hold all my new goodies. Even so, I packed meticulously, strolling my way on to my return flight with only two carry-on bags; one to stow and another to crush beneath my seat. My most painfully pricey purchase was the shawl. In the first days of my trip, I carried a gorgeous blue and green tartan shawl my husband gave me for Christmas. Then, while swapping to various forms of public transportation, I lost it. By the time we reached the car rental agency to begin our grand tour of Ireland, I was so distraught, kicking myself for even bringing it on the trip. I still think about that lovely shall, and imagine it is wrapped around a really great person who needed more than I did. One can hope.

As I sat down in my seat for my final flight, a pond skip from Dallas to Biloxi, a woman in a short sleeve shirt sat next to me. She looked utterly exhausted. Over my shoulders hung my fancy, new shawl. Soon, the plane took off, and with it, the air conditioning. By the time we reached our designated altitude, the poor girl beside me was shivering. I removed my expensive replacement shawl and offered it to her. She took it gratefully and wrapped herself in the fine wool blanket, and within minutes, fell fast asleep. Meanwhile, I snuggled into my oversized zip-up sweater glad to be of service.

These are the hidden gems. The moments many of us stumble upon when we have the opportunity to be kind to others. It feels good to comfort someone, and I assume God put that shivering lady in front of me for a reason, nothing profound, just a little reminder of what is truly important, our connectedness in this vast world. And though my bond with possessions is embarrassingly strong at times, it cannot compare with gratefulness. When we landed, the young lady handed back the shawl with smile, and I felt we had both accomplished what seems to be the greatest of feats in this social media-driven world, kindness. These moments, these hidden gems in life, are what we all need more of, so cover someone today with your kindness. Next to Ireland wool, there’s no better feeling.