A Helping Hand
A perspective on “paying it forward”
It’s hard to resist reading articles about goodness since they tend to gravitate to me in so many ways. I love coming across stories and tales that offer a bit of inspiration and positivity to the world. Kindness always plays a part in the aforementioned. We need a bit of kindness every day because that is what life is all about!
So, when it came to paying it forward one day, I also had to make the effort. On this particular occasion, it happened to be of a stranger that looked like just about anyone on the street. Believe me, I would not be able to recognize the woman even after the ten-minute encounter I had with her during a rainy lunch hour. While I was walking along and desiring to cross the intersection quickly in order to keep myself dry, a middle-aged woman with a backpack motioned to talk to me. Assuming she was helpless without an umbrella on hand, I was eager to offer my umbrella to assist her in crossing the street. However, I was held off guard when she said, “It has detained me from going to get my lunch today. I am unable to go now. Would you like to buy me lunch?” Undoubtedly, I had an exclamation mark on my head, as I didn’t quite comprehend what she meant. “No, I would not,” shot through my clear reply instantaneously without hesitation. Just the mere tone of my statement made me sound coldly indifferent to her bizarre request. Questioning her intentions, I scanned and profiled her up and down. Upon my assessment, she didn’t dress too shabby, nor did she look disheveled enough to be a vagrant. As a matter of fact, I thought my hair was more of a tousled mess than hers! So why would anyone want to buy her lunch out of the blue? Certainly, no stranger would ever by me lunch, plus I don’t think I’d be so bold to dare and ask for a free lunch. Obviously, I wasn’t going to partake on any tricks of hers because there have been times where people tried to take advantage of the kindness of others after realizing these people were tricksters asking for cash.
As I turned around to resume my course toward the street sign, she hesitated and then asked, “Or could you just get me something to eat from the convenience store nearby?”
There wasn’t a convenience store in the vicinity of where we stood, but before I had the urge to reject her again, I remembered the ripple of kindness articles that I read and contemplated on my reply, and wondered if this was a test of some sort. Seeing that we were standing in front of a steamed bun (bread) store, I offered to let her have her pick in what she wanted to eat. She hesitated and agreed. She merely picked out a pumpkin pork bun and then asked if she could also get a drink.
Fine, I thought; not wanting her to choke on the account of my doing. She picked out a rather expensive drink in comparison to the soy milk options on the shelf, but I did not have much to say. We paid in front of the cashier who looked at me rather curiously. The woman was somewhat impatient and asked if she could just eat what she had as is, and I replied with a certain affirmation. Before I had exited the store, she was already eating her food behind a pillar. Quite famished in her behavior, I let her be.
I thought about asking her some questions; yet, I felt that maybe it was better to leave her alone in case she didn’t want to be bothered. Everyone has his or her own reasoning behind each action. To ask for food is not an easy task unless one really faces hardships that cannot be explained. Although not a word of thanks, I did what was doable by my means and at my own discretion. Later, I contemplated and thought, she might not have expressed herself too clearly and perhaps, she was trying to go and get her daily lunchbox offered at the city food shelter.
Oddly enough, the only money I spent that day was on her. I hope it was well spent with the consolation that she really ate the food.
What do you think? Would you have done the same or differently? No matter what we decide, it’s best if we could play our part in making this world a better place by extending a bit of kindness toward others.
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