4/30/2006
Got Milk (of Human Kindness)?
Four days since my last post. I've gotta find a way to get back on schedule...
I must relate an incident that happened the other day when Mama and I were in Winston (and which I'd left out of my last post due to a regrettable combination of time running out on the library's computer and a horrendous lack of sleep). I'd previously mentioned it was raining all that day. We needed to catch the bus back downtown to catch our connection to Greensboro. If we hurried, we'd just make it. Trouble is, the stop in question was across the street and several blocks away from where we were at the time. Nothing for it but to scamper through the raindrops and hope we didn't get too wet. Mama had an umbrella, but it was one of those dinky little things designed to fit into a purse. I, of course, being a Macho Man American Male (grunt!) Who Has No Need of Such Pansy Contrivances, yo-hoooo, carried no umbrella.
Of course, that just meant that the rain would begin coming down faster. Oh, well...
As we were making our way thus, a car pulled up to an otherwise-empty parking lot we were approaching. A elegant-looking older lady got out with an imprerssive-sized umbrella and was heading directly toward us. She held out the umbrella saying, "Here, I think you need this!"
We thanked her profusely, and headed toward the bus stop, which, we were gratified to see, was one of those plexiglass affairs that would just about keep us dry until the bus showed up. Thinking the lady would want her umbrella back, I started heading toward the shelter with gusto, but to my surprise, she wasn't headed toward the bus stop, but toward her car.
"Wait, ma'am -- don't you want your umbrella back?"
"Oh, no, you can have it," she called back over her shoulder as she hopped in her car and prepared to take off. I barely had time to call out "Thank you" to her as she left.
See, guys, this is what I'm talking about. The Milk of Human Kindness. Doing Unto Others. This lady Got It. She extended herself to help two strangers in need and asked for nothing whatsoever in return. I feel guilty that I wasn't to at least return her umbrella (which Mama immediately claimed, passing along to me the little dinky affair that's kind of an unsult to a Macho Man American Male (grunt!) Who Needs No Help Against A Few Little Raindrops, yo-hoooo!) or to offer some sort of remuneration in return. I guess I'll send a Letter to the Editor to the Winston-Salem Journal thanking her and hope she sees it.
For the record, I have indeed given away such things as umbrellas, raincoats and even jackets to those in need. I don't do it often, of course, being of short fundage, but you know something? It feels good knowing you've made a difference in someone's life, no matter how small.
I must relate an incident that happened the other day when Mama and I were in Winston (and which I'd left out of my last post due to a regrettable combination of time running out on the library's computer and a horrendous lack of sleep). I'd previously mentioned it was raining all that day. We needed to catch the bus back downtown to catch our connection to Greensboro. If we hurried, we'd just make it. Trouble is, the stop in question was across the street and several blocks away from where we were at the time. Nothing for it but to scamper through the raindrops and hope we didn't get too wet. Mama had an umbrella, but it was one of those dinky little things designed to fit into a purse. I, of course, being a Macho Man American Male (grunt!) Who Has No Need of Such Pansy Contrivances, yo-hoooo, carried no umbrella.
Of course, that just meant that the rain would begin coming down faster. Oh, well...
As we were making our way thus, a car pulled up to an otherwise-empty parking lot we were approaching. A elegant-looking older lady got out with an imprerssive-sized umbrella and was heading directly toward us. She held out the umbrella saying, "Here, I think you need this!"
We thanked her profusely, and headed toward the bus stop, which, we were gratified to see, was one of those plexiglass affairs that would just about keep us dry until the bus showed up. Thinking the lady would want her umbrella back, I started heading toward the shelter with gusto, but to my surprise, she wasn't headed toward the bus stop, but toward her car.
"Wait, ma'am -- don't you want your umbrella back?"
"Oh, no, you can have it," she called back over her shoulder as she hopped in her car and prepared to take off. I barely had time to call out "Thank you" to her as she left.
See, guys, this is what I'm talking about. The Milk of Human Kindness. Doing Unto Others. This lady Got It. She extended herself to help two strangers in need and asked for nothing whatsoever in return. I feel guilty that I wasn't to at least return her umbrella (which Mama immediately claimed, passing along to me the little dinky affair that's kind of an unsult to a Macho Man American Male (grunt!) Who Needs No Help Against A Few Little Raindrops, yo-hoooo!) or to offer some sort of remuneration in return. I guess I'll send a Letter to the Editor to the Winston-Salem Journal thanking her and hope she sees it.
For the record, I have indeed given away such things as umbrellas, raincoats and even jackets to those in need. I don't do it often, of course, being of short fundage, but you know something? It feels good knowing you've made a difference in someone's life, no matter how small.
# posted by Cybermancer @ 2:09 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
That was nice of her. In this dog eat dog world it's nice to hear stories of unselfishness no matter how small it might seem. Just remember to pay it forward!
That is one of the reasons I miss that area. There is still that sense of neighborliness, even if just vaguely, still there.
Post a Comment
<< Home
