In January 2019, I was traveling with my husband to Luanda, the capital of Angola. One day we went for lunch at a restaurant that was full of locals and not a single tourist in sight. Since all the tables were taken, a local man in his forties waved us over and offered us seats at his table.
When it was time to pay, we realized our cards didn’t work there. Before we could figure it out, our tablemate casually offered to pay for our meal. It honestly surprised us — he didn’t look particularly wealthy or anything. Fortunately, we did have some cash and were able to pay for our own lunch in the end.
Still, I asked him why he had offered to pay for strangers he didn’t even know. He simply said, “Because I can.”
That answer has stayed with me ever since. It has influenced the way I think about life — that sometimes the best reason to do something is simply because I can.
Exploring the Unexpected 