today i meet an old gentleman tottering on his umbrella, asking for directions from a stout middle aged gentleman who looks as rough and ready as they come. the older man has just stumbled his way off the bus and the younger man was about to board it. i want to go to my friend's thai food place, the old gentleman says, the one in ikea. this is ikea, the middle aged man says, but there's no thai eatery here. there are eating places across the road, we tell him together, is that where you want to go? and so we shuffle up the escalator across the overhead bridge down the steps over the zebra crossing down the elevator and arrive at the thai stall at the food court. take a cab home after lunch, we tell the old man firmly, and say good bye to each other.
today i learn that we build barriers into everyday tasks that only disabled people ever get to appreciate. i learn that help comes in many guises and that God keeps his kernel of goodness alive in man. i also learn that a quick trip to the neighborhood store is full of possibilities for a soul-enriching adventure, if i keep my heart unhardened and open to interruptions.
No comments:
Post a Comment