After 40 minutes even my waterproof jacket had started leaking and I could feel the cold. Suddenly I felt a powerful wind and I heard a disturbance on the other side of the street, something tumbled along the street and then some fabric flew through the air.
Then I saw a homeless man with it full trolley, it was not so full anymore, the wind had blown it aside and there was some stuff around it. I hesitated for a second, then I crossed the street and went after what I thought was the bag that I had seen tumbling down the street. It was a bag of plastic bottles; bottles you could get a few 20 cents per piece for in the store.
I manage to get hold of the fabric that turned out to be a scarf and I went with it to the man… A big smile of gratefulness was on his face… He was damper than I was, but he didn’t care… he patted my shoulder and smiled. I smiled too! I turned around to leave, and then I remembered a $10 note I had in my pocket. I found it and turned back to the man…
This time he couldn’t hold it back. I got a big hug! And he was so happy! I told him to buy something warm to eat… I hope he did!
Earlier that day I had written a text about helping others, I came across some wisdom from Gretchen Rubin. She wrote: “Why I Try Not to Do Things for Others, but Instead, Do Them for Myself”. The article was about doing things for others… But don’t do them for them, do them for yourself, because it feels good. The difference then is that you don’t expect anything in return…
I didn’t expect anything in return from the man I met on the street today. It cost me $10, BUT wow the feeling it gave me… His gratitude, smile and the hug were worth so much more… an even if he had shown none of these… I would have had a good feeling in my chest for the rest of the day anyway…
By the way, during the walk, I tried to pick up fallen bikes… a small act of kindness that nobody saw… But I didn’t do it for anybody else… I did because the more bikes I picked up… The happier I became!
Today is a new day… New opportunities to learn more about doing things for others… or myself!