Lean on Me
“Sometime in our lives
We all have pain, we all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know there’s always tomorrow” –Bill Withers
Watching the news I’m apt to forget that there is kindness in the world. In our haste to achieve instant gratification with all of our techno-gadgetry we’ve forgotten the human element, but surely it’s just buried somewhere a little deeper than it used to be.
Last weekend while coming back from dinner, we spied a “little old lady” walking briskly down the street by herself and trying to flag a cab. (There aren’t that many cabs in Columbus, she could be there 'til Bush is out of the presidency.) She clutched her purse tightly, and appeared to stumble occasionally, so we decided to go around the block and see if she was okay. When we stopped to ask her if she was all right, she initially looked terrified, then quickly realized that we were not the serial killer types. (We don’t, as a rule, wear tinted eyeglasses circa 1971. Look for yourself, it’s true.) She agreed to let us take her where she needed to go, and although she smelled of alcohol, she seemed really nicely dressed with matching shoes and purse and really rather non-threatening, so don’t lecture me about picking up strangers. (My rule of thumb, is only well accessorized hitch hikers over the age of 70, or weak and frail…sort of how a lion picks out gazelles.)
Anyway, long story short, we took her to where she needed to go, and she threw a $20 bill at us, after we had declined payment.* She said as she was getting out of the car, “You saved my life tonight, they’re aren’t many nice people left.” I’ve been thinking about what she said for days. Was it really that inconceivable that someone would help a perfect stranger? This is where you come in.
Please share with me stories of where you, a friend or family member have been helped by someone you didn’t know, or where you or a friend were the “hero”, helping a stranger in distress. No need to be humble. Prove to me the lady was wrong, that there ARE people who will do the RIGHT thing, even if it’s not the easy way. You’re restore my faith in humanity.
Immediately at the end of the blog, you’ll see the word “comments” in italics. Click on it, and tell me your story.
*We took the $20 and bought donuts for our respective staffs. It seemed like the right thing to do.
posted by Garghoulee @ 10:45 AM
2 Comments:
When I was in Turkey, the bus that was taking me to the archaeological ruin-site and modern city of Bergama (Pergamum) decided to dump me off on the side of a deserted Turkish highway at 1:30 AM, claiming that "the bus didn't actually go into the city." [Later research into this matter proved that, since I was the only one going into town, they'd abandoned me outside town to save on gas, not knowing I was a non-Turcophone).
Anyway, I was just about to burst into ragged tears - the city itself was about eight miles away - when I noticed a roadhouse across the highway. In the parking lot were three youths, smoking and talking. They began to walk towards me and I began to wonder if I was going to urinate upon myself before they cut me. One of them came up and said, IN ENGLISH, "Hey! What's going on?" I was like, uh, the bad man left me to die on the side of the road. He and his friends had gotten a cab and offered to share it with me. Then, they asked if I had accomodation - and when I said that I didn't they brought me to their friend's grandfather's hotel (The Gobi), which was easily a three star place. As they were leaving, I asked them a) how they knew I was an Anglophone and b) if I could compensate them some way. They said that they'd seen me on the bus and that I'd talked English in my sleep [!!!] as I napped.
And as for compensation, they told me that I should just pass a good thing on to someone else in need.
So I did.
Awesome! Weren't you terrified?
Post a Comment
<< Home