I have often wondered if we ever take time to consider how connected we are as human beings. If this is part of our daily thought, we would treat each other differently. I recently had an experience that brought this so close to home for me.
I start my day usually with meditation and then I go for my morning exercise. On my way home from my morning walk, not too far from where I stay, I could see an elderly lady standing by the traffic light waving frantically trying to flag cars down for a ride. No one seemed to notice her, cars just sped along. This lady must have been in her late 70s it seemed to me. By now, as no one was responding, she had stepped off the curb and I got really concerned so I walked over to her. She was visibly agitated, and of Hispanic background, with very limited English. I asked in my limited Spanish, where she was headed, and she just kept pointing ahead. I asked if she wanted me to take her some place and she just kept pointing. I then asked her to wait for me and I shall return to take her wherever she desired. I thought to myself, "Em, you are nuts! what if this is a set up, and she has people waiting in ambush someplace? Well, the voice of reason did not prevail, I simply followed my heart, and I figure, I could handle any old lady any day.
Minutes later, I pulled up next to her, and she hopped right in, she was calmer now, and said to me in English "you are kind, can I pay you $5:00? I said no, just pray for me. Thank you, thank you she kept saying. I then asked her to direct me where to go.
She did a perfect job telling me where she was headed. It turns out she was going to "her office" a Carneceria (meat market) she hobbled out of the car and I escorted her into the store.
I felt so much peace that morning, having gone out of my way to help. Its a small act, nothing extraordinary, however, a life was touched.
It however got me wondering why nobody stopped to help this lady, fear for their life, people hurrying to their businesses, or have we just become indifferent and numb to the needs of our neighbor.
I was only able to transcend those human obstacles when I asked myself this question "what if that was my mom, or someone dear to me?
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