A small act of kindness

Last week I made a friend. This wasn't a friendship that arose out of a common interest, or through the convenience of living next door to a neighbor who happened to be the same age as me, nor attending the same elementary school, or taking the same AP class, or being on the same soccer team. This was a different type of friendship entirely, born unprobably out of monumental differences - different primary languages, cultures, ages, backgrounds, and personalities. It was a friendship formed on a small act of kindness.
Rosalinda is a special child. The volunteers here at the daycare know her as the 8-year-old girl who has boundless energy, a contagious laugh, and an annoying tendency towards mischief. She is eager to raise her hand at any opportunity, try to play whichever games she can - even if she is a bit too young to understand the rules fully, and generally just get her hands on any book available, spare pair of sunglasses, or try to take a picture with a camera. She is a bit hyperactive, but I find her endearing for her cute laugh and seemingly endless supply of energy and enthusiasm.
Last week some of the 10 year old girls at the daycare were playing "bate" - a game similar to baseball but with minimal equipment needs. The basic structure is to toss a foam ball to the batter, who uses their arm to send the ball flying and then run to different landmarks in the area - a tree, a rock on the ground, and 4 other similar bases. The older girls had asked me to play and I agreed. Rosalinda, of course, wanted to play too - and walked to me with her arms outstretched, shouting "yo! yo! yo quiero jugar!" (I want to play!) with her characteristic enthusiasm. The other girls groaned and told me that they didn't want Rosalinda to play - that she couldn't play. Ignoring their complaints, I offered Rosalinda my turn at bat. She hit the ball and ran to the first base, but she didn't know where to run next. The other girls and an older boy who is known to be mean at times got quite angry and yelled at Rosalinda to stop playing. The older boy - Presley - pushed Rosalinda away and she began crying. I am so used to seeing Rosalinda laugh her happy, enthusiastic laugh that I was saddened by her tears and obvious hurt. I had a decision to make. Many of the girls who were playing were my recently-made friends and in my mind I knew that standing up to them may change their high opinions of me. However, in my heart I knew that I could not let them treat Rosalinda with such annoyed attitudes and open contempt. I had to stand up to this bullying and comfort Rosalinda and also make sure that she could play "bate" too. I walked over to Rosalinda, calmed her down, and took her hand. I led her to first base - a tree in the center of the small field - and told the other girls that Rosalinda would run with me. I held Rosalinda's hand and she ran with me all the way to the sixth base. She was still noticeably upset but she had stopped crying. I asked her if she wanted to bat, but she shook her head "no" and looked at the ground. The second time at bat, I hit the ball and ran around the bases without her. However, for my third time at bat I let Rosalinda hit the ball before me again, but after I had explained all the bases to her to make sure she fully knew the rules. I encouraged her to hit the ball and to run, and cheered "Buen hecho!" (well done!) after she hit the ball and after each base that she ran. I was a personal cheerleader for her for the rest of the game, and I made sure that the other girls let her play. I could tell that they didn't necessarily agree with my decision, and there was some general grumbling, but they let her play. Rosalinda hardly left my side for the rest of the day. She grabbed my hand and led me from one activity to the next. After the "bate" game we colored pictures and kicked around a soccer ball and she was soon back to her happy, expressive laugh after cheering up towards the end of the "bate" game. Rosalinda can get on everyone's nerves at times, but she has feelings too and deserves a chance - even if she can't play a game perfectly, I believe she deserves the chance to try.
In this small act of kindness, our friendship was formed. The next day Rosalinda greeted me with outstretched arms in a big hug as she shouted "Ana!!" It made me smile to see that our friendship was still there the next day - that she had not forgotten my small act of kindness nor our newly formed bond. Despite the differences and the unlikelihood of bonding over something as simple as a game of "bate," I made a friend by intervening in a situation that I felt was unjust and hurtful to a Honduran girl. I had faith that every person deserves a chance to try something new and to belong to something that they have the desire and the enthusiasm to join. I acted and stepped in to stand up to bullying - to risk friendships with the other girls for just one friendship with a girl who was rejected by the others. I did the right thing and I hope that my small act of kindness touched Rosalinda's heart as much as her infectious smile and enthusiasm, boundless energy and even her mischevious tendencies have touched mine. :)