When you get to a certain age, its unpredictable as to when one should stop. The teaching to little kids is even though you think you dont have to, you should double check, because if you dont, a few miles down the road youll wish you had. So, I stop, hobble down from the truck (some seat angles arent quite right for those with fibro and other problems). Oh, dear, a couple is sitting to the side of the steps with a sign that they need money for gas. Just pass by and get up the steps without falling; go to the restroom, but I find that the rest stop isnt really needed. Why did I stop then? Maybe the couple is just pan-handling. So what if they are. I can give them some money. Will think about it when I get back to my purse in the truck. Back in the truck, I look at what cash I have left. It shouldnt be this hard to decide. Now, get out of the truck again without falling and walk over to them. Go on. Just do it. I have this to share with you. and in my usual manner, I start talking to them. Everyone has a story and I love to hear others. Our talk lasts for about half an hour. Im in no hurry. A man and his teenage daughter walk over and ask if they need food as they had far more than they need--apples, string cheese, candy bars, and more. They go to get some of their extras. The lady is wearing heavier shoes than the weather requires, The man has sores on his arms. The lady tells me that the toes on her right foot had been amputated. Do you have diabetes? I ask, looking at the dry condition of the skin on her legs. She does, so she wont be able to eat the candy bars that were offered, but he can. I question more, open to what they want to share, which is much. The bones from her other toes had been removed, but without the bones, the toes are basically useless. The tips of her shoes had been reinforced to compensate for her missing toes. I think, Is this for real? It doesnt matter. She shows me the bottom of her shoes and they look like none others that Ive seen before, so they must have been reinforced. I asked her if her legs have been swelling. Yes, theyd been sleeping in their car and the angle isnt good for circulation. The man and his daughter bring back a huge sack of food--apples, bunches of string cheese and so much more. We continue to talk. I feel relieved about my good report from OHSU. Im in no hurry. A woman walks over and hands them some money--careful not to get too close. The man tells me his struggles with the medical profession, that even with insurance he is not able to get help for the lesions and pain that he is suffering. She says that the medical profession is giving them less help than what they give to others as in, cant do anything for you--out the door you go. I told her just a tad bit of my story and that I now had a deeper understanding of walking in someone elses shoes. So much more is said, helping us to reach friendly and compassionate understanding between strangers. I tell them that I really wish them well, and that they will find more help for their health problems. I reach down to give her a hug, which she accepts and gives back. She thanks me so much for stopping to talk and for helping. I walk back to my car, feeling just a bit lighter on my own legs, possibly even being able to get up into the truck with no pain. I think for a few seconds and realize that by my stopping to give them some help and by my spending time with them, it brought a couple of others closer to them to offer help. I gained far more than what I had when I drove in to that rest stop, somehow under the guise that I needed to use the facilities. You walk on the beach and you see the stranded starfish. You pick it up and throw it into the ocean. Your companion says to you, Why bother? It doesnt matter. You cant save them all. You say, No, I cant. But, it matters to that one.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 06:17:56 +0000
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