“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Leo Buscaglia
I was recently in Chicago, sitting in a busy plaza watching city dwellers hurry to their destinations. I was savoring my last few minutes when an old woman appeared to my left and sat near me. She was wrapped in a tattered coat and had a cart on wheels filled with clothes and blankets and bright old sneakers that didn’t appear to be hers. She sat there for a few minutes and then lay her head down on the cement bench. I watched how others reacted to her. Most would glance, take a harder look, and then move ahead quickly, as if hesitation might incline them to assist, or to listen to their conscience asking, “How can you ignore this?”
A few questions raced through my head:
- What if that were me?
- What if that were my Mother or Father?
- The wind is so cold in Chicago, where does she go?
- Why do so many of us think, “Someone else will take care of her”?
I spoke to her as I was leaving and gave her some money, more than I’ve ever given anyone I didn’t know. As I was walking away, the most amazing thing happened. The sun appeared – not gradually as you’d expect with a cloud moving by – but suddenly and blindingly. It was a beautiful moment, both inside and out.