We saw a homeless woman today. Nothing unusual around here; I’m sure every town has its share of folks who are beyond ‘down on their luck’ – but she stuck out. Old enough to walk slightly stooped and with completely white hair, she was dressed in a nice-ish black skirt and sleeveless shirt, with matching worn black flats. Her shopping cart was filled to overflowing, and she pushed it very slowly and carefully along the sidewalks and alleys, stopping only for a few moments in the shade to avoid the 100-degree heat of the day.
Upon returning home (just a couple short blocks away), Jeffrey grabbed an extra cloth shopping bag and set about filling it with Clif bars, fruit snacks, apples, and bottled water – and we headed back out to find the nameless woman.
We found her, not too far from where we had last seen her, picking up dropped change by the parking meters – and cleaning up the litter in the gutters. A man sat in his car, just watching, perhaps waiting for someone in one of the stores on the block.
As we neared her, I made eye contact and smiled – and she smiled back in a sad sort of way, said “Hello,” and moved over to one side so we could continue walking past. You could see the suspicion and surprise as we walked up to her – who does that sort of thing any more?? What could we possibly want?
Jeffrey, smiling, set the bag on top of her cart and said, “We had a little extra and thought you probably needed this more than we do.” Her eyes got wide and she peered in the bag, then quickly looked back at Jeffrey, shocked and grateful, and said simply, “Bless you,” in a quavering southern accent. And we smiled and turned around to head home.
I imagine she might have broken down in tears after we left. I don’t know; I was crying too hard to see anything even if I had looked back. She was so sad, and so alone, and so amazed that someone would stop and help her – because nobody ever sees her.
Normal, everyday people going about their business don’t register in her world – because she doesn’t register in theirs. What kind of a person can walk blindly past an obviously struggling human being, pretending there’s nothing wrong or, worse yet, that she doesn’t even exist?!?
The sad truth of the matter is that it happens all the time. Every single one of us does it, probably more often than we care to think about. That little voice in our head pipes up quietly with a guilty reminder that we probably have a little extra money, or it’s so sad to see someone in that position, or often, something a little angrier and less friendly. But how many of us actually stop to help? Or say hello and offer a kind word? If not, why not? A box of dry cereal or some other food that doesn’t require preparation; a couple extra bottles of water; an extra loaf of bread that we baked… It is so easy, and costs us so little – but means so much to the people on the receiving end.
So, here’s an exercise for all of you: The next time you’re out walking, or driving, and see someone obviously in need, don’t walk blindly by. Stop and give whatever you can – extra groceries, water, a smile and a kind word… And then see how you feel afterward
Amorphous Eclectic 