On the streets of New York, every day I pass by a man or woman asking for money or something to eat.
Yesterday, I gave a pretty young woman money, and I asked her why she was on the street. She did not speak much English. I wrote on a piece of paper, "for help, contact the Food Bank of New York." I do not know if she will seek interpretation of what I wrote, but I do know that it makes a difference to engage people in conversation, and acknowledge their presence.
If someone one asks me for food, I will stop to feed them, and if I don't have the money to do so, I will extend a prayer for blessings and protection.
Consider today, tomorrow, whenever you pass someone in need, do an act of kindness. Say hello, ask the person about their day. If someone asks you for assistance and you have it to share, extend yourself.
There are blessings and miracles awaiting each of us.
Today, let each of us start by acknowledging the presence of another, and extending a simple greeting, a nod, a simple hello might help make someone's day.
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2 comments:
Freda,
Thank you for your invitation to post in your blog and your encouragement to bring my voice out concerning my thoughts and ideas for social change.
I was needing a little push and you have done well. I hope to follow through this first intent and soon to start my own blog. Then, we will be more conspiring for a better world through taking a public stand.
Related to your suggestion to stop by people we meet on a daily basis, and pay attention to their lives and needs, I could not agree more. So, that's why I copied and pasted below some short story I recently sent to a friend who, by the way, lives in NYC. This way, more people can relate to what I wrote, wherever they are located in the world. Thank you Freda for your testimony!
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Writen on May 11, 2007 from Spain:
This morning at the time of paying my breakfast (some coffee and toast for EUR 1,90) I gave EUR 2 and after doubting for a while whether to get back the 10 cents left or not I decided to leave it as a tip. It is not mandatory to leave tips here, and actually standard of living has risen so much since January than at the coffee shops they apologize for the rise of prices.
To my surprise, the barman didn't look back at me, didn't say thank you, and took for granted the tip. It felt wrong to me. I thought that if they meant to charge 2 euros they should say so and planned to get my 10 cents back next time!
I know that this is no tip in NYC at all, and I have my own anecdotes about treatment and thankfullness there in the restaurants. But wait for the final of the story...
This evening while buying bread I engaged in conversation with the new shop attendant, this one is from Colombia. The other girl from Ecuador is now in the morning shift, the new one told me. I like to talk to workers in shops, bars, taxi and bus drivers, I learn a lot and keep a sense about people's concerns and longings beyond what the media reports.
This Colombian girl has been living in Spain for the last 4 years. She has a child and as she told me how much her family in her country and herself miss each other she got misty eyes. I shared that I love her country, I have friends there and having lived in Panama I know what is like living in the area and the customes there. Also we talked about how much expensive Spain has become, the cost of a bus ticket, of a coffee...Then, I shared what had happened to me this morning while paying my breakfast and how I decided to leave 10 cents for I considered myself somehow obliged to do it -so as to not appear miserable- but then repented when I perceived ungratefulness.
She stared at me in awe and then stated that 10 cents are a lot! With her eyes filled again with emotion she told me how her little boy goes around collecting cents, looking actively on the ground or wherever. To the point, she said, of sometimes collecting 50 cents after a while. "And with 50 cents you can buy some bread!" -she said, also clarifying that she tells her child to not do such thing. But with a sense of proud she confessed that sometimes even he's collected EUR 1 coin. She cannot afford air tickets and so she dreams on the time when her family will see her child.
This lesson today gave me trust in my feelings of discomfort with the coffee attendant in the morning. As we get accustomed in industrial societies to take things for granted and the value of money and what can be done with it, we loose a sense of appreciation for our priviledges -having a job, having a family nearby like probably the local barman has, having customers to buy your products,etc.
Then, I thought in how a fundraising project targeting donations of 0,50 cents could involve children, and how a project to allow inmigrants to flight home once a year could be financed little by little by many people wanting to contribute.
What do you think about this idea?
Hi Rosario, thank you very much for posting here. I agree with you regarding being grateful for any and everything and I thank you for reminding me of such. I aspire to greatness, to have more than a lot, but to also make a difference in the life of others. Your reflections, are providing for me, an opportunity to look at all that I have and see it as well, rather than restrictions. Thank you for your illumination.
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