What Do You See?

What do you see? Do you see a smiling girl on a trip of a lifetime? Do you see happiness radiating from her smile? Do you see a beautiful backdrop that would cause any traveler envy? Do you see a girl who looks like she is living her best life?

Let me tell you what I see when I look at this picture. I see a girl who stopped breathing once she reached the 92 meters point. I see a girl who was so gripped in the clutches of a panic attack that normal vision was no longer possible. I see a girl whose hands went so numb that red splotches, and veins were all that showed on her too white hands. I see a girl who could have crawled up into a ball, and laid down to rest among the clouds, and sea of tourists. I see a girl who was so nauseous that she didn’t believe she would be able to get down the 463 steps that awaited her. I see a girl that was ready to give up, but didn’t quite know how.

I see a girl who stood frozen in panic 92 meters in the air. Luckily in the midst of the sea of tourists someone else too saw the frozen panicked girl. The older man was Chinese, and he did not speak the girl’s native English, but he had a kind smile, and he saw the panic in her eyes. He helped shuffle the girl along to the stairs where his other friends waited for him, and together the girl, the Chinese man, and his friends embarked on the climb down.

The kind men reassured the girl with their encouraging smiles, and let her slowly go down the steps at her own rocky pace. The kindness, calm, and stability that radiated from the men allowed the girl the ability to slowly regain enough composure to breathe normally again as she went down the stairs. As the girl and the men reached the bottom, the kind Chinese man gave the girl one last big smile, and then with a wave he was gone.

I see a girl who loves heights. I see a girl who does not mind being lost in a sea of people. I see a girl who also experiences panic attacks in the most unlikely places. Most importantly I see a girl who was able to witness that simple kindness can go beyond any type of language barrier. I see a girl who is thankful that at the right time she was truly seen by a kind stranger willing to be the calm in her temporary storm.