Every now and then,
when something weighs heavy on me and I’ve been thinking about it for a little
bit of time, I’ll get something that I call a “moment of clarity”. In that moment, whatever it is that I’ve been
in a quandary about becomes crystal clear, and I understand not only why the
subject has been bothering me, but I also come up with a solution for the
problem.
We’re living in an age
where it’s every man or woman for themselves.
You either sink or swim. Many of
us are simply treading water. I’ve
become acutely aware of those that have it considerably worse than me. I am also aware of those that have it
better. I guess, you could say that I am
part of the majority of people that are treading water; barely able to keep my
head above the sea of life. Sometimes, a
wave will catch me off guard and I go under only to resurface with just enough
time to catch my breath and begin the task of treading water again. I’m sure that many of you reading this know
what I mean.
One evening, I was on
my way to a bar to have a nightcap after having a very good dinner with my partner. It was a good evening. If my memory serves me correctly, the evening
had been cold…cold enough to wear gloves.
As we walked up Arch Street, we came upon a man lying on a vent. He was wrapped in a blanket, sleeping as if
he were in his own warm bed in a safe place.
The first thought that crossed my mind was, “when was the last time this
man had a meal?” I walked across the street to a nearby WaWa
and purchased him a sandwich, a piece of fruit, some chips and a carton of milk
or juice. I returned to him and placed
the bag by his side and in that moment, he looked up at me and said, “Thank
You.” I went about my business feeling
satisfied that I had done the right thing until I stopped for another moment to
think…it was that moment of clarity of again.
The act of giving wasn’t about me and I didn’t have the right to feel
joy or pride. The act of giving wasn’t
about making me feel good about me…it was about doing what I was supposed to do. There should have been nothing extraordinary
about performing that simple act of kindness.
That should be the norm, not the exception.
You see, being homeless
and going without life’s basic necessities to live in dignity was this man’s
reality…and I understood that. Even with
me having very little, I still have a roof over my head and a warm bed to go
home to. At that moment, it wasn’t about
me. I understood that at that moment, I
was my brother’s keeper.
Now as I write this, I’m
thinking, “what if everyone did just a little bit to help those that can’t help
themselves?” We can think of so many
reasons why we shouldn’t give. We can
say to ourselves that the person in need probably did something to deserve the
circumstances that they’re in. We can
say to ourselves that the person in need will probably feed some other habit
before they feed themselves with the money that we may give. We may even say that I have it so bad that I
am one paycheck away from joining that person living on the street. And all of the reasons listed above are
valid.
But in the same breath,
we can also think of reasons to give. We
can say to ourselves that it is the right thing to do because we really don’t
know what that person’s circumstances are.
We don’t know if that person contributed to their poverty. We can guess, but we really don’t know for
sure unless we ask them. And the simple
reality of it all is that we don’t care enough to ask.
So I ask you now…what
is your reality and could you do something to change someone else’s even if it’s
for a moment?
How to donate to a
homeless shelter link listed below:
J.L.Whitehead
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