Sitting in the car, waiting to pick up my husband after work, I saw what society would consider a bum coming my way. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes and no money. I hoped he was not coming to ask for money as I simply didn’t feel like getting close to him. He didn’t. He sat on the curb near a bus stop but did not look as if he had sufficient money for the bus fare. After a few moments he spoke; “That’s a pretty car.” Although his clothes were ragged, he had an air of dignity about him. “Thank you,” I said. He sat quietly and the expected plea for money never came. As the silence continued, something inside nagged me to ask whether he needed anything so I did; “Do you need any help?” He replied with three simple but profound words that I shall not forget in a hurry. I had expected a grimy, outstretched hand but all I got was the following reply. “Don’t we all?”
Until then, I’d been feeling successful and maybe even a bit important until his words hit me like a ton of bricks. I gave him sufficient money for the bus, a hot meal and more.
No matter how much one has, no matter how much one has accomplished, one needs help sometimes. Even if it is only a compliment. One might see someone who appears to have it all yet they might be waiting for you to give them what they don’t have … company, a different perspective on life, a glimpse of something beautiful, a respite from their daily chaos that only you can see. Maybe the man had hit on hard times and was simply a stranger wandering the streets searching for some kind of work ?
My husband left his office and we went out to dinner, the man’s words ‘don’t we all?‘ still ringing in my ears.
