In a good moment

There is a story, not my own, of a an old man on a train in Japan, at night. A large angry drunk man boards the train. Yelling. An exchange of words. Compassion. The old man shares a memory of a fragrance from a flowering tree. Something from childhood. The anger fades, the softened man sits, lays his head in the elder's lap. The story of childhood memories unfolds gently.
How do we meet another's anger, frustration? With fear? Hatred? Resentment? Love? What do we have to offer in that moment?
What are we cultivating in our garden? How do we cultivate? Can we be at ease with who we are? Can we love what is? This moment is lovely, when we see with tenderness.