Mike DomitrzPresident, Author, and Speaker on Respect, The Center for Respect, Inc. · Author & Speaker on Respect for Schools, Corporations, & the Military since 1990 (has reached

Acts of kindness. #centerforrespect #mikedomitrz #smallactsbigimpact #gratitude #fullcircle

15 Nov 2024 · 1 min

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In this personal anecdote, the speaker recounts a high‑school bus incident where a teammate demanded his seat and threatened violence. A physically strong, fearless classmate intervened, warning the aggressor that any harm to the speaker would be met with his own retaliation. The aggressor backed down, preventing a potentially traumatic confrontation. Decades later, the speaker wrote a thank‑you letter to the defender, reflecting on how that courageous act likely altered his high‑school experience and self‑perception, and expressing lasting gratitude for the kindness shown.

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It was high school. We were on a bus. 5'1, me, 89 pounds, sitting in a chair. And freshman year or so. And this guy walks on that bus who's from our school and on our team. And he goes, that's my seat, get out. And I'm like, what? I'm not getting out. For some reason, I've— in that second, I didn't feel fear until he went, well, then I'm going to pummel you. And he said it like he meant it. And suddenly there was a tap on his shoulder of the strongest guy in my class and the guy that was known for having no fear. And he said to that guy, you touch Damish, you deal with me. And that guy backed off so fast. At 40 years old, this is over a decade ago, I wrote that guy a letter. Said, I don't know what would have happened if you didn't do that. And I bet my high school experience would have been different if that guy had done what he said he was going to do. And maybe how I viewed myself. Thank you for having the courage.