Gently Caring…

The one thing that I enjoy doing is people watching. You can see so much of the world, if you just stop long enough to watch people and how they react to one another. I find that you see the truth of an individual’s character when you watch them when they don’t realize it and today I saw a thing of true beauty…

I went to Kroger with my mother and decided to wait in the car as she went in to pick up an item. It was silly for me to go in for what was only going to be a few minutes. As I sat there in the car, I watched a gentleman assisting a lady from their car, to her wheelchair. Now you may wonder what’s beautiful about something so simple, but I promise you that what I saw was nothing short of breathtaking.

It wasn’t merely the care that he took to assisting her to the wheelchair (and there certainly was that), but the gentleness in his expression. He helped her to the seat and even retrieved something from the trunk; the whole time with clear concern for her well-being. There also was a gentle calmness with all that he did, getting everything in order before wheeling her into the store. Never seeming “put out” for having to assist, but like a deep caring respect for his companion and simply glad to help.

We all know that this type of behavior should be something we see every day, but sadly it isn’t the case. So often people look at our senior citizens as if they’re a burden to society; when in fact, if they would slow down, these individuals would see that our older generations are a gift with so much to offer. They hold the keys to our past, with amazing stories from their lives and times we’ll never see. It only takes a little time and kindness on our parts.

We should all show the caring and kindness of this gentleman… It would make this world a much warmer and happier place. So, my challenge to you… Go out and show some kindness to a senior in your life, show them that they are important and that they are worth the effort. It will likely be something magical you get in return.

“The years teach much which the days never knew.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson