I saw a man, today, spare a woman his anger and frustration through humour. A lightly delivered joke and gentle movements shared his feelings without aggression; delivered his message with kindness.

A few minutes earlier, his beard and silent demeanour at first made me see him as unfriendly; possibly harsh.

Those few seconds gave me a glimpse of two often invisible little things: the beauty of mercy and potential worthlessness of judging men by their first impressions.