This morning I witnessed some things that made an impression on me.
Usually on my way to work every day, I have the choice of taking 1 of 2 routes: to go down one busy road and then turn onto one other road or to wind through a bunch of streets and through downtown. Both take about the same amount of time so it's usually a toss up. I really like downtown though so that's the route I like to take, and I did this morning. And while I was driving downtown, yielding at a green light and waiting to turn, I saw the first instance that made me start thinking. . .
To my left I looked and saw two elderly people. One was a woman in a wheelchair and she was being pushed across the street by an elderly man. They looked about the same age, he had a wedding ring (I didn't see her left hand), a back brace on and a look on his face that I think can only belong to someone looking out for the one they love. It was precious. As they got to the other side of the street, she started saying something and he leaned down to listen.
As the straight-going traffic had all gone through, I turned onto the next street and drove up to the next traffic light where I waited for the lights to change. I looked around as I usually do at stoplights, scanning the scene, when something to the right caught my eye.
Two younger people, a man and a woman, were walking together towards the corner of the intersection. Before they got there, the woman seemed to just have snapped. She said something curtly and began walking the other away. The man turned around to see her walking away, and said something. The woman just shook her head strongly and with what seemed like a lot of frustration and kept walking away. The man stood there (obviously trying to decide what to do), and then started walking in the other direction. And then the light was green and it was time to drive on. I was left puzzled at having two glimpses into the lives of others over the course of one trip to work when I usually don't have any (or at least none that I notice).
I found a single thought in response to the two situations I had recently witnessed:
Whoever would have faithfully pushed your wheelchair in your old age won't be able to if you walk away while you can still walk.
Maybe those old people weren't married and the man was just a kind stranger who offered to help the old woman get across the busy street.
Maybe the young man was treating the young woman like dirt and she should have walked away years ago.
But there's the possibility that the old man has been there for his wife every time she needed someone to push her wheelchair. And there's the possibility that the young man and woman are being stubborn and selfish and would otherwise be great together if they would only get over themselves.
I don't know and I probably never will, but either way, I want to learn from this series of events that I was privileged to have a look into. There are times when walking away is the right thing. But I don't want to walk away when I should be staying to push someone else's wheelchair - or vice versa.
Usually on my way to work every day, I have the choice of taking 1 of 2 routes: to go down one busy road and then turn onto one other road or to wind through a bunch of streets and through downtown. Both take about the same amount of time so it's usually a toss up. I really like downtown though so that's the route I like to take, and I did this morning. And while I was driving downtown, yielding at a green light and waiting to turn, I saw the first instance that made me start thinking. . .
To my left I looked and saw two elderly people. One was a woman in a wheelchair and she was being pushed across the street by an elderly man. They looked about the same age, he had a wedding ring (I didn't see her left hand), a back brace on and a look on his face that I think can only belong to someone looking out for the one they love. It was precious. As they got to the other side of the street, she started saying something and he leaned down to listen.
As the straight-going traffic had all gone through, I turned onto the next street and drove up to the next traffic light where I waited for the lights to change. I looked around as I usually do at stoplights, scanning the scene, when something to the right caught my eye.
Two younger people, a man and a woman, were walking together towards the corner of the intersection. Before they got there, the woman seemed to just have snapped. She said something curtly and began walking the other away. The man turned around to see her walking away, and said something. The woman just shook her head strongly and with what seemed like a lot of frustration and kept walking away. The man stood there (obviously trying to decide what to do), and then started walking in the other direction. And then the light was green and it was time to drive on. I was left puzzled at having two glimpses into the lives of others over the course of one trip to work when I usually don't have any (or at least none that I notice).
I found a single thought in response to the two situations I had recently witnessed:
Whoever would have faithfully pushed your wheelchair in your old age won't be able to if you walk away while you can still walk.
Maybe those old people weren't married and the man was just a kind stranger who offered to help the old woman get across the busy street.
Maybe the young man was treating the young woman like dirt and she should have walked away years ago.
But there's the possibility that the old man has been there for his wife every time she needed someone to push her wheelchair. And there's the possibility that the young man and woman are being stubborn and selfish and would otherwise be great together if they would only get over themselves.
I don't know and I probably never will, but either way, I want to learn from this series of events that I was privileged to have a look into. There are times when walking away is the right thing. But I don't want to walk away when I should be staying to push someone else's wheelchair - or vice versa.