Following the recent storming of the U.S. Capitol Building, trash and debris littered its halls. One lawmaker, in the middle of the night, spent an hour and a half helping clean up the mess. He didn’t do it for publicity, but images of the act have been shared widely.

Later, in an interview, Rep. Andy Kim said, “I was just really affected emotionally. I felt this kind of heightened, kind of supercharged kind of patriotism that I just felt take over.”

He added, “When you see something you love that’s broken you want to fix it.”

I don’t know about Kim or his politics, but the quiet and meaningful act of cleaning up — and its symbolism — resonated deeply. Sometimes the smallest acts are what express the most love.

[ where I first read about this ]