Today I received a ray of sunshine through an old lady's smile and hug. I don't even know her name or who she is.
All I know is that I was on my way home from work and I saw an old lady carrying what looked like two heavy grocery bags (judging by the way they stretched while she was carrying them. And by the fact that she was walking slowly across the road). She seemed to be struggling.
Now, I've been in that situation where I decide to go and get the two things I need from the grocery and end up with two full bags. Because, well, I would need them soon anyway.
The thing is, I have a car that I can put the heavy bags in and then just drive home. Big difference between me and the little old lady.
I drove past the old lady and I thought "Oh the poor thing" and I wanted to stop yet a part of me thought that someone else would surely help. Don't we all usually think like that? I was less than 2 minutes away from home. Still I pulled over and stopped the car, observed the lady as she crossed the road and put down her bags. That's when I decided. I turned the car around, drove next to her and stopped the car. I rolled down the window.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
She didn't hear me at first, I noticed her hearing aid. So I repeated a bit louder. She looked up and this was when she smiled. First piece of sunshine.
I got out and asked if I could help her. I kept thinking that this was a Norwegian, so she would most probably say no, seeing as I was a total stranger (and very clearly a foreigner).. (Sorry Norwegian friends, no harm meant, you know I love you!). But she was overwhelmed and overjoyed that someone actually asked her if she needed assistance. "Yes please" she answered, to my surprise and pleasure.
So I helped her in the car. We started driving and she said she lived in *** which is close to where I live and that she was planning on taking the bus home. My mistake then and there was not to ask for the street name, as we ended up taking a 20 minute drive to get back almost to the place we started from :-)
She told me a bit about herself and I told her a bit about myself. She told me her sight was bad, this was one of the reasons we took a "touristic route" as she did not recognize the area or the streets while we drove. So here I stopped the car and we plotted the street name into the gps. Bingo! I laughed a bit when I realized where it was.
When we arrived at her house, she turned around and gave me a huge hug. Second piece of sunshine.
As simple as that? Yes as simple as that.
I COULD have just ignored her and left her to walk to the bus and let her walk home. She would have survived and I would have been home earlier.
But I am so glad I stopped because of the happiness it gave me to do such a tiny deed for someone.
I hope that when I am old, frail and carrying way too heavy shopping bags, that someone will stop and drive me home.
In about 60 years in other words :-) So my driver isn't even born yet!
Do a good deed today. Be the helping hand.
Make a difference!!!
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