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BY JENNIFER SILVERMAN
Kindness is a funny thing.
On a day like any other, we often allow our to-do lists and the distractions of daily life to consume our thoughts.
In the course of that day, we may spontaneously bestow a kindness on someone we encounter.
The gesture may feel so seemingly insignificant to us that it instantly escapes our memory. The recipient of our act of kindness on the other hand, may never forget it.
It was 2008, my senior year of college in Manhattan, studying fashion.
Providence guided me toward an unexpected path as she usually does, and I found myself in the Iconic 30 Rock building, outside of Studio 8H, where both Football Night in America and Saturday Night Live were shot.
As I walked into my assigned destination, the makeup room, I smiled at the professionals tending to their duties. They totally ignored me, which as an intern in fashion and entertainment, was not unusual. In fact, it was standard practice - I understood early on that the “don’t speak until you’re spoken to” rule is widely embraced.
I found a spot in the corner of the room and lingered awkwardly awaiting further instruction.
On this particular day, NBC Sports talent were gathering to shoot Football Night in America. I’ve never been a sports enthusiast, so I had no idea who these revered coaches and professional athlete-broadcasters were.
Luckily, not being a star-struck fan enabled me to easily maintain my professional decorum as I disappeared into my chosen corner. Many famous folks appeared in the makeup room over the next several minutes. Not surprisingly, no one took the time to notice the quiet intern in the corner.
Suddenly, the energy shifted, and everyone began to scurry about with palpable excitement. Seconds later, the King of NBC Sports, Bob Costas strolled into the room.
I may not have known any of the other sports celebrities I observed that day, but Bob Costas – I knew. Mr. Costas was greeted with genuine enthusiasm by everyone, and promptly did something completely unexpected.
He spotted me, approached me, put out his hand, and said “Hi, I’m Bob. What’s your name?”
The hair and makeup artists who had been ignoring my presence for the previous 30 minutes seemed surprised.
“Hello, Mr. Costas. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Jennifer, one of the interns.” He smiled and responded, “Good to meet you, Jennifer.” He then settled into the makeup chair and began preparing for his broadcast.
From that day forward, any time I ran into Bob at 30 Rock, he greeted me by name and could not have been kinder or friendlier.
On that day in 2008, I’m sure that Bob quickly forgot about greeting a shy intern. I, on the other hand, never did.
I will always remember the feeling of the most important person in the room, taking the time to sincerely acknowledge the one who nobody really cared about.
As I grew in my career and eventually led wardrobe teams of my own, I never forgot how much it means to be acknowledged and appreciated.
I’m confident that Bob’s kind gesture began a chain effect in my life that resulted in countless others.
He taught me a valuable life lesson about the power of kindness that I treasure to this day.
I do my best to carry on the pattern of kindness that Bob set in motion.
After all, interns inevitably grow up and learn to make their own marks on the world. Here’s hoping they all come across a teacher like Bob Costas.
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