one small act = big results

I recently had an experience that changed the perspective of my life. I wasn't expecting it. I even almost missed the meaning of what happened. However,  I do believe that Holy Spirit nudged me in the right direction at the right time and I for sure was in the right place.
I had just clocked out from work and was getting ready to leave when I had the thought of going to the library, which was a good idea because I would be able to get some computer work done.
I was there for maybe a half hour  when I heard from across the room a librarian talking to a patron  about papers that he printed out. For some reason he didn't have a way to pay for them. Either he expected to pay with a credit card,  which they don't accept, or he neglected to understand that there was a fee. The latter is more unlikely due to the automated notice about fees that pops up on the computer screen when you print anything. That's neither here nor there.
I listened to them for a while,  both at an impass. The librarian trying to get the fee and yet still offer help to hold the papers for the patron. The patron didn't want to do that because the papers had personal information on them. They were stagnated. Without thinking I left my chair and walked over to the librarian's desk. I handed the fee,  which was only pocket change,  to the librarian without looking at the person more than a simple  acknowledgment of his thank you.
I went back and sat down and couldn't focus for a long while. What made me do that? I didn't know that guy. How was it that I heard the conversation between the man and librarian from across the room? I wondered what it was that impacted me so much about this interaction?
I'm just your average single 30 year old,  muddling through life the best I can. I was surprised that I had the nerve to approach the two of them because I suffer from social anxiety and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Engaging with others take more courage than I usually have on a day to day basis.
Then it hit me, the last few years in dealing with my health issues and being dependent on other's services, I had forgotten what it felt like to fill a need. Or be helpful, or simply to acknowledge someone else's problems instead of focusing on my own. You see, I have had to focus so much on taking care of myself, that I forgot what it was like to feel in a single moment,  needed. In the simple transaction of involving myself in someone else's problems, mine seemed a little less overpowering. I not only helped someone to be able to do what they needed to do,  but I helped myself to realize that no matter how small the action,  anyone can make a difference.