This isn’t about the animals, nor is it about soap or lotion making or even about cooking. This really makes me a bit sad.
Yesterday, after work and doctor, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a couple of items on my way home. It was raining pretty steadily, and as I waited on a car to pull out of a parking spot so that I could park I watched an elderly woman, easily in her eighties, wandering through the parking lot with her cart. She had only a thin jacket, no hood and no umbrella. She had obviously forgotten where she had parked her car. She found it, just a little bit closer and diagonal from my own parking place. As I parked my truck, she was moving her items into her car but had a few left. I put my hood up, and walked up to her and asked if she wanted some help so that she could get out of the rain sooner.
Keep in mind I was still dressed for work in heels, slacks, and a nice black rain jacket. She looked at me like I was going to attack her, and said she would get it. I smiled and asked if I could at least take her cart, so she wouldn’t have to stay out any longer than necessary and then she smiled and said I was speaking her language. She thanked me kindly and sat down in her car as I walked off with her cart and put it away on my way into the store.
This entire event bothered me. Not that she wouldn’t let me help her, but that we live in a time that a simple act of kindness that any decent person should offer is viewed with concern and an amount of fear.
It is an unfortunate type of society that we live in, when we cannot be considerate for fear someone will take it the wrong way. I don’t believe in a perfect society, but surely we should be doing better than this right?
I had a similar thought driving home in the rain yesterday.
ReplyDeleteOn my route I saw a lady walking along the side of the road, a good distance from any bus stop, building or house. She was wearing pants and a shirt, but no jacket, no hat and no umbrella.
I considered pulling over and offering her a ride at least a little further down the road to get her out of the rain and cold.
My first thought was "She'll think I'm a kidnapper or serial killer."
My second thought was "What if she's a scam artist or has a weapon?"
I kept driving.
Truly sad society has us thinking these thoughts.
Darren, my mother has set a good example of helping out when it's not appropriate to stop - in a rainy situation :) She drops her umbrella out the car window, with a little cash in it (if she can) to help out in some way. :)
ReplyDeleteIf only everyone in the world would read your posts mayb e at least a good percent of them would think again about passing up someone who obviously needs help. I like your mothers way of helping, because it is a dangerous thing to pick up people. I'm going to start taking one or two less expensi ve umbrellas with me in the car.
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