During one of the darkest periods of his life, Steve Askew stood at traffic lights on his way to work when a stranger approached and put an arm around him. The man said, "Everything is going to be OK," before disappearing into the crowd. That brief moment, Askew says, shifted everything for him and helped turn his life around.
A Moment of Despair
Askew's cousin had recently died in a terrible accident, and he had been the one to identify the body. At the same time, he was going through a divorce, and the company he worked for was struggling badly during the global financial crisis. Every day felt heavy with uncertainty and stress, leaving him emotionally exhausted.
One morning during rush hour, he stood at the traffic lights, lost in his thoughts. He must have looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, because a man walked up, put his arm around him, and offered those few compassionate words.
A Life-Changing Encounter
Askew burst into tears, and by the time he had pulled himself together, the stranger was gone. He cannot even remember the man's face, but the moment snapped him out of what he describes as dwelling in victimhood. The kindness gave him enough hope to make a change.
Soon after, he quit his job and went travelling around the world, something he had been talking about doing with his cousin. During his travels, he met the woman who became his partner in Germany. Three children later, they have built a happy and deeply fulfilling life together.
That stranger will probably never know the impact he had, but a few compassionate words, offered at exactly the right moment, altered the course of Askew's life for ever.
