A morning walk

Do you believe in being in the right place at the wrong time or is it the wrong place at the right time?

I went for a walk this morning. I had no real destination in mind I was just getting used to my new sandal that I’ll be taking to Europe.

The shoes felt pretty good so I kept walking and I walked further than I had intended, lost in a podcast episode when an elderly gentleman fell on the concrete right in front of me. Another man was walking past and though he didn’t look much younger than the injured man, he tried to help him up. Some council workers ran over from their worksite to help and managed to get the man upright and over to a seat.

He was badly cut up, bleeding, and had a huge bump on his head but he was coherent and quite cheerful. He told us his name and his age, 92.

My heart broke, picturing my dear dad in a similar situation. I was so incredibly grateful that those men were there. All I could do was phone the ambulance. Then a wonderful lady and a young guy came out of nowhere like freaking angels. The guy was a trainee nurse and the lady worked with people with disabilities. She had a first aid kit in her car and between the two of them they had the 92 year-old gentleman wrapped up in a jiffy.

We were all there at the right moment to help him. He was bleeding so badly, I shudder to think what might have happened if there was no first aid kit available. I’ll be buying one for the car.

While we stood waiting for the paramedics and keeping him company, another woman walked past with her little dog. She stopped to look at the jackets hanging on the wall outside a charity that provides jackets and warm clothes for the needy among other things.

The woman was well dressed and her hair was done nicely. She had a small dog, neat handbag and nice shoes. She didn’t look homeless. After some deliberation, she took the jacket.

Because I can’t actually help myself, I said ‘Excuse me, those clothes are for the needy.’

She could quite rightly have turned around and said don’t judge a book by its cover or you don’t know what I need but instead she said ‘I’m always putting stuff there. I can take I want.’

Can you though?

Is that how it works? If I donate money to charity, do I get to take some back?

It was an odd moment and maybe I should learn to mind my own business. But then I wonder, does minding my own business extend to somebody who has a spill on the concrete and is dripping blood everywhere? Should I have kept walking? In society we all have roles to play and taking from the needy is shitty behaviour no matter how much you say you give.

The very busy paramedics finally found us and I left as my only job there was done.

I don’t know. Life is strange. Is there some purpose to all this?

Was I meant to see that poor man fall over this morning? Was I meant to be there to remind the lady that taking clothes intended for the homeless people wasn’t cool?

Does any of this have any meaning?

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

Commonly attributed to Albert Einstein

Either we’re here for a higher purpose and everything we do is in service to that or it’s all just a bunch of meaningless stuff that happens.

If we get to choose, I’m probably going to choose purpose, meaning, and service. If there is no meaning… no matter, I will have done the right thing anyway.

I stopped in for a cup of tea on the way back and who should be sitting in the cafe but the lady who helped herself to the clothes for the needy. Part of me would have loved to walk up and say to the people she was with hey do you know what this lady just did? But I decided to mind my own business.