Things Not Always What They Seem
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Gary [email protected]
This year is different, however, because I am writing this based on the experience of one of my co-workers who relayed the story to me.
Seems my co-worker was late for a lunch date with her sister on the east side of town. She was running behind because things got a little hectic here in the newsroom.
It was a sunny November day, but it was cold and windy. As my co-worker headed east down Market Street, she noticed an elderly woman struggling against the wind near the intersection of Market and High streets.
She was wearing thick soled shoes – the orthopedic kind – and was well-dressed. She seemed to be having trouble walking because she was carrying a couple of plastic bags from Dollar General in each hand.
The bags looked heavy as the woman made her way west on Market Street.
My co-worker, glancing at her watch and realizing she already was late, thought that the right thing to do would be to offer this elderly woman a ride, but she was late so she kept going.
She drove a couple more blocks and couldn’t stand the thought of the woman struggling with those bags anymore, so she turned around just past the Little Tigers Fribley Field.
She texted her sister that she would be late and headed back west on Market Street. She found the woman sitting on a bench on the sidewalk in front of the Times-Union.
My co-worker pulled up in front of her, rolled down the window and asked her if she wanted a ride.
“Oh no,” the woman said. “I live clear over at Retired Tigers.”
My co-worker said, “That’s OK, I can take you there.” She got out of her car and helped the woman get her bags into the car and then helped the woman get into the car.
All along, my co-worker figured this woman was on her way home after shopping for groceries. But a glance at the bags showed, instead, they were full of toys.
My co-worker struck up a conversation with her. “So, you’ve been shopping?”
“Yes,” the woman said. “I went and got toys for the Toys For Tots drive.”
My co-worker said tears welled up in her eyes as the woman told her how excited she was that she could get toys for needy kids this year.
It seems over the past couple of years, the drop-off site was too far for her to walk. This made her sad. But this year, there was a drop-off site within walking distance so she made the trek from Retired Tigers to Dollar General to get the toys – about 10 blocks one way.
As my co-worker dropped the woman off, she gave her her cell number. She told her she worked downtown every day and if she ever needed a ride she should just call. She knew the woman was too proud and independent to ever call for help, but she offered anyway.
As she pulled away from Retired Tigers, she called her sister and – through tears – told here about her chance meeting with this sweet elderly lady.
After lunch, as she returned to the office, she got a little misty when she told me the story.
“Here I thought I was being this big charitable person by helping this lady when the whole time she was the one who really had the Christmas spirit. It just really got to me,” she said.
Merry Christmas, everybody.[[In-content Ad]]
This year is different, however, because I am writing this based on the experience of one of my co-workers who relayed the story to me.
Seems my co-worker was late for a lunch date with her sister on the east side of town. She was running behind because things got a little hectic here in the newsroom.
It was a sunny November day, but it was cold and windy. As my co-worker headed east down Market Street, she noticed an elderly woman struggling against the wind near the intersection of Market and High streets.
She was wearing thick soled shoes – the orthopedic kind – and was well-dressed. She seemed to be having trouble walking because she was carrying a couple of plastic bags from Dollar General in each hand.
The bags looked heavy as the woman made her way west on Market Street.
My co-worker, glancing at her watch and realizing she already was late, thought that the right thing to do would be to offer this elderly woman a ride, but she was late so she kept going.
She drove a couple more blocks and couldn’t stand the thought of the woman struggling with those bags anymore, so she turned around just past the Little Tigers Fribley Field.
She texted her sister that she would be late and headed back west on Market Street. She found the woman sitting on a bench on the sidewalk in front of the Times-Union.
My co-worker pulled up in front of her, rolled down the window and asked her if she wanted a ride.
“Oh no,” the woman said. “I live clear over at Retired Tigers.”
My co-worker said, “That’s OK, I can take you there.” She got out of her car and helped the woman get her bags into the car and then helped the woman get into the car.
All along, my co-worker figured this woman was on her way home after shopping for groceries. But a glance at the bags showed, instead, they were full of toys.
My co-worker struck up a conversation with her. “So, you’ve been shopping?”
“Yes,” the woman said. “I went and got toys for the Toys For Tots drive.”
My co-worker said tears welled up in her eyes as the woman told her how excited she was that she could get toys for needy kids this year.
It seems over the past couple of years, the drop-off site was too far for her to walk. This made her sad. But this year, there was a drop-off site within walking distance so she made the trek from Retired Tigers to Dollar General to get the toys – about 10 blocks one way.
As my co-worker dropped the woman off, she gave her her cell number. She told her she worked downtown every day and if she ever needed a ride she should just call. She knew the woman was too proud and independent to ever call for help, but she offered anyway.
As she pulled away from Retired Tigers, she called her sister and – through tears – told here about her chance meeting with this sweet elderly lady.
After lunch, as she returned to the office, she got a little misty when she told me the story.
“Here I thought I was being this big charitable person by helping this lady when the whole time she was the one who really had the Christmas spirit. It just really got to me,” she said.
Merry Christmas, everybody.[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092