Actions

I have mentioned my tendency to notice others before. I am usually (provided I am not exhausted or stressed out) aware of those around me. I see where my co-workers go. I notice what my students do. I even pay attention to strangers walking down the street. Sometimes I am happy that I notice so much. Other times I think it is a curse.

There is man that I have noticed a lot. Each time I go to the store, he seems to be walking the same stretch of the road. I recognize his face. I am not sure why. Perhaps he used to be a client of mine. Perhaps he and I used to frequent the same grocery store. I know that I know him. It bothers me that I can not place him.

Today was no different than most days. I ran to the store to grab some household items: some vacuum bags, some sponges, a t-shirt for my husband…boring things. As always, he was walking. Today the man looked tired. I wondered where he was going, how long his walk was, and what it was he was going to do. I wondered if he was lonely or if he was hungry. I wondered if he had enough water to drink or if he was going to be dehydrated soon.

As I pondered this man’s life, I completed my shopping. It only took a little while. Since I was so quick, it was no surprise to me to see the man walking still as I emerged from the store. My thoughts and/or worries about this man got the best of me. I pulled over. There was a Starbucks nearby. I decided to get myself a cold treat and a bottle of water for the man. Something told me he needed it. I approached the man, greeted him, and asked him how he was doing. I did not receive much of a response. I commented that he looked tired and a bit overheated to me. I offered him the water. He took it gratefully. It turned out he did, in fact, need it. He said, “Thank you. I was feeling sick before. I did not know what to do”.

The rest of my conversation with the man is of no consequence. It was not particularly interesting. As I reflect back now, however, I wonder if the man would have become sick had I not stopped and supplied him with water. I wonder why no one else stopped to see if he was okay. He did not appear to be so. It occurs to me that often we are all too busy with the mundane details of our own lives to consider others’ needs. It also occurs to me that often people are too prideful or afraid to ask for help. It seems to me that people need to be more aware of each other. We need to tend to each other. We need to recognize that, like it or not, our actions do impact one another, as do our inactions.

Most of all, however, we need to care…