Heading home on I-75 after a long day on campus filled with you-have-to-know-this-for-the-exam lectures, something nice and unexpected happened to me a few days ago. No, no one called me on my old-fashioned flip phone to tell me that I won an iPhone. And no, the potholes between Exit 79 and 74 did not disappear just because bailout dollars for improving Michigan’s infrastructure are in sight.

Instead, something really simple happened: a truck driver smiled and gave a friendly wave so that I could safely change lanes after I was squeezed in between his and another truck. He must have seen my stressed and scared look while my brain was feverishly working on a quick solution to find my way out of the uncomfortable BLT sandwich situation.

It might sound weird, but the fact that someone did something nice for me after a tiring day turned my otherwise dull commute into an uplifting ride and made me smile. Once at home, I felt like socializing. I grabbed my laptop and walked over to my neighbor’s for a coffee and to show her some pictures from my spring break in Europe. She just had a baby and for her, a chat with a friend must have been like the truck driver’s smiling gesture for me: something nice.

On the way home, I met my other neighbor walking on the side walk to her daughter’s house for dinner. She is a cute old Russian lady in her 90s who doesn’t speak any English. When she saw me, she started talking excitedly, opened her arms and gave me a hug. For a few seconds, I didn’t know what was going on. But her behavior made my heart jump. She pointed on the ground and then I understood.

The contractor who is building a new house on the street had finally repaired the wide gap in the sidewalk that the snow melt created. After I saw my neighbor walking in the street to avoid tripping, I called the city to take care of the problem. After all, people in Michigan shouldn’t walk in the street if even driving in a car can be a dangerous undertaking.

While the day seemed to be a gray one first, I felt really awesome in the evening. I was reminded that little things make me feel happy and fortunate. Those who don’t come across smiling truck drivers or cute old ladies and who find it hard to cheer up, should check out www.1000awesomethings.com and reconsider the bright and sunny side of life.