We like to think that kindness is its own reward. And sometimes, when the universe is feeling generous, it is.
Nashville-based singer and songwriter Lexie Hayden (@lexiehaydenmusic) says in a TikTok video that’s been viewed almost 160,000 times that she was minding her own business at the Nashville airport when a stranger came up to her. The request? Photos.
Specifically photos in front of several different “Nashville” signs at the airport.
The Request
Hayden complied, but she was confused: accompanying the young woman was a Southwest employee. Why was this person involved?
After the photos were taken, the employee explained that the young woman whose photos she’d just taken was on the spectrum. The employee was trying to escort her safely to her gate.
“So I take the photos and wish her a Merry Christmas … and think nothing of it,” Hayden recounts.
A Southwest Worker Comes And Finds Her
About 10 minutes later, Hayden says the Southwest agent found her. Hayden was sitting at her gate, the interaction largely forgotten.
The agent asked Hayden for her name and then handed her a $50 voucher for her next Southwest flight.
Hayden holds up the voucher to the camera, and it looks official.
She explains that the gift was a thank you from the airlines “just for being nice to this girl on the spectrum. It made my day.”
The singer-songwriter’s small act of kindness is made even more poignant because the young neurodivergent person explained that she never gets to travel. She just wanted some pictures to share with her family, and the storage on her own phone was full.
So what Hayden actually did was follow this young woman around the airport, snapping photos on her own phone and then texting them to her. A huge deal? No. But honestly, something that took patience and kindness during a frantic travel season.
Kindness Is Always Free
Some in the comments were quick to note that this was possibly more than just a flight for the young person. “It was prob such a big milestone/moment for her,” observed Spamforfunsss (@spamforfunsss). “And she wanted to have a pic of it.”
KatMack (@katmackcanada) was quick to give kudos. “I’m an accessibility representative for a major airline in Canada and this is the kind of stuff we need more of,” she said.
While TheBitchingHour (@thebitchinghour) shared how small acts of kindness can resonate.
“Southwest Airlines is by far the best. I was flying home in October after saying goodbye to my mom. I sat all the way in the back. that’s when reality finally hit me. the flight attendant sat next to me and was just there to hold the spot of comfort as I cried. his kindness will never be forgotten,” they shared.
Encouraging Kindness?
The U.K. site Mentalhealth.org says a kinder world starts at the individual level. “We want to see a world where kindness is built into business decisions, government policy and official systems. However, we can start by individual commitment to showing kindness in our words and our actions, ” it notes.
Suggestions to empower (and remind) people to be kind include everything from throwing a community fundraiser to small acts. Like helping a neighbor, tidying your street (trash pickup), or just greeting strangers as you move through the day. Don’t forget to be kind to yourself, the site reminds. Take some “me” time and do something you love—even if it’s just finally watching that show you’ve been dying to binge.
So there’s really no big takeaway here, just the stuff you learned in preschool. As Hayden captioned her TikTok, “Just a reminder to be kind.”
BroBible reached out to Lexie Hayden via her TikTok direct message and to Southwest via their media email.
@lexiehaydenmusic just a reminder to be kind this holiday season. 🤍🎄 #southwest #fyp #traveling #christmas