When I go out to buy my groceries, which is typically only once a week, I am very sensitive to my surroundings. I look at people, talk to them no matter what their lot in life is!
Today a homeless man jumped up from the sidewalk to open the door for me as I went to enter a store. He didn’t ask me for anything, he just smiled and said “have a nice day!”
I’m on a limited social security income but I thought I would get him a few food items to reward his kindness. The look of awe on his face was priceless when I handed him the bag. He gushed his appreciation and hugged the bag to his chest.
It might sound strange, but I didn’t eat all day. In memory of that homeless man being able to be kind enough to open a door for me, I felt I could give up eating for the day in his honor.
I’m not a religious person, but will claim being spiritual. The saying “There for the grace of God go I” comes to mind. One left turn instead of a right turn, one meeting missed, one phone call not answered . . . where could I be?
But I did take the right turn, showed up for the meeting I promised to attend and answered the phone call that projected me in the right direction.
It’s all a matter of what we do on a daily basis. It all adds up. So what if we all looked at life that way? What if we could see the real person behind the grubby street person or the wack-a-doddle ranting on the street corner?
What if we could project our love and understanding to those less fortunate than us and know that our thoughts and deeds matter even if we can’t see the results?