Silly as this story by American journalist and author Elisabeth Gilbert may seem to be, it tells the truth of the power that we hold in our hearts and in our hands that can make better the world we live in.

“Some years ago, I was stuck on a crosstown bus in New York City during rush hour,” wrote Gilbert. “Traffic was barely moving. The bus was filled with cold, tired people who were deeply irritated with one another, with the world itself. Two men barked at each other about a shove that might or might not have been intentional. A pregnant woman got on, and nobody offered her a seat. Rage was in the air; no mercy would be found here.

“But as the bus approached Seventh Avenue, the driver got on the intercom.

“ ‘Folks,’ he said, ‘I know you have had a rough day and you are frustrated. I can’t do anything about the weather or traffic, but here is what I can do. As each one of you gets off the bus, I will reach out my hand to you. As you walk by, drop your troubles into the palm of my hand, OK? Don’t take your problems home to your families tonight, just leave them with me. My route goes right by the Hudson River, and when I drive by there later, I will open the window and throw your troubles in the water.’

It was as if a spell had lifted. Everyone burst out laughing. Faces gleamed with surprised delight. People who had been pretending for the past hour not to notice each other’s existence were suddenly grinning at each other like, is this guy serious?

Oh, he was serious.

At the next stop, just as promised, the driver reached out his hand, palm up, and waited. One by one, all the exiting commuters placed their hand just above his and mimed the gesture of dropping something into his palm. Some people laughed as they did this, some teared up, but everyone did it.

The driver repeated the same lovely ritual at the next stop, too. And the next. All the way to the river.

“We live in a hard world, my friends,” said Gilbert. “Sometimes it is extra difficult to be a human being. Sometimes you have a bad day. Sometimes you have a bad day that lasts for several years. You struggle and fail. You lose jobs, money, friends, faith and love. You witness horrible events unfolding in the news, and you become fearful and withdrawn. There are times when everything seems cloaked in darkness. You long for the light but don’t know where to find it.

“But what if you are the light? What if you are the very agent of illumination that a dark situation begs for? That’s what this bus driver taught me, that anyone can be the light, at any moment. This guy wasn’t some big power player. He wasn’t a spiritual leader. He wasn’t some media-savvy influencer. He was a bus driver, one of society’s most invisible workers. But he possessed real power, and he used it beautifully for our benefit.

“When life feels especially grim, or when I feel particularly powerless in the face of the world’s troubles, I think of this man and ask myself, What can I do, right now, to be the light? Of course, I can’t personally end all wars, or solve global warming, or transform vexing people into entirely different creatures. I definitely can’t control traffic. But I do have some influence on everyone I brush up against, even if we never speak or learn each other’s name.

“No matter who you are, or where you are, or how mundane or tough your situation may seem, I believe you can illuminate your world. In fact, I believe this is the only way the world will ever be illuminated, one bright act of grace at a time, all the way to the river.”

Gilbert’s story brought a smile to my face. We all have troubles. We all get angry. We have bad days. We must not take our problems everywhere we go. Your family does not deserve the wrath of your bad day at work. The officials at your child’s basketball game do not deserve to be yelled at just because you had an act of road rage on the way to the game. Those who love you deserve the best of you.

I have known a married couple whose daughter twice attempted suicide. I knew a man whose wife of 25 years died from an asthma attack right next to him in the middle of the night. I knew another man who escaped the twin towers on 9/11 but his secretary perished in the attack. All of these people have struggled to come through their tragic moments — and yet they have never brought their grief or their anger into public places. In fact, they continue to lend helping hands to their churches and community programs.

I have told myself not to tailgate a vehicle driving 20 mph under the speed limit. The driver might be an elderly person on her once a week trip to the grocery store. I keep a smile on my face when standing 10 people deep in a checkout line at Walmart, and when I finally reach the register employee, I smile again. She wishes me a good day and I say the same to her. I hold doors open when there are people behind me coming into the post office or wherever there’s another door for me to hold open.

These small acts of kindness are not heroic or to be applauded, but they just might help somebody get through their day a little bit better. We can all be the “one bright act of grace” on this very day.

As long as we have the privilege of being alive on this planet, we can be like the bus driver. Open our hands. Collect the troubles of the people you know and of those you meet in public and toss them into the river, the lake or the ocean, or into the air above you.

Be the light that shines in the darkness. Begin today. And together, let’s make a difference.

Email Rich Strack at richiesadie11@gmail.com