A couple weeks ago, I was in line at the grocery store and… as usual, I picked the slowest moving line as I attempted to check out. As everyone in every other line rolled their carts out of the store, I remained in line… not moving at all. I happened to pick that line where the person being waited on was fumbling around doing who knows what… while the rest of us screamed nasty things with our body language. “What could possibly be taking so long?” A couple people in front of me finally moved to other lines because they had simply run out of patience. I was now second in line… directly behind the culprit. Now, I could see what was up. I could now see the woman in front of me didn’t have enough money to pay for her groceries. She was asking the checker to remove one item at a time, hoping to finally reach a total that was less than what she had in her hand. Embarrassing for her. (I’ve been there) Also, embarrassing for me in that my impatient anger was focused at someone who just needed a little help. As she completed her transaction, she scurried out of the store as quickly as she could move. I immediately asked the checker to ring up the few items that she took out of her cart and add them to my bill. I then asked the courtesy clerk to run off and hand her the things she left behind. So let me ask… W.W.Y.D?
Yesterday, I was on my way to pick up my daughter from school and running a little late. I was stopped at a light with one car in front of me. When the light turned green, the car in front of me just sat there. People immediately started honking and screaming. My first thought was, “move your damn car.” Then I looked at the driver. A lady by herself who just seemed scared. I got out of my car and while I was asking her about her car trouble, some guy drove by flipping us both off telling us to “get her wreck out of the way.” Long story short… I pushed her across a few lanes to the side of the road where she could safely call for a tow-truck. Once again… W.W.Y.D?
W.W.Y.D? What would you do? I don’t tell you these stories for any other reason than this: Each and every day we react to things, people and events around us. We are constantly confronted by circumstances that require some reaction from us. The challenging co-worker, the quiet spouse, the introverted child, the bad grade, the line you are stuck in. W.W.Y.D? Would you fire off some knee jerk reaction, or would you offer to help? Sometimes people just need a little help. Sometimes people are simply victims of circumstance and require a little assistance. Sometimes the ones who require the most help are the ones who are too afraid or too proud to ask for the support they need.
The next time you are faced with a challenging set of circumstances… What Will You Do? Take a minute and ask yourself, “Does someone need my help?” Heck… the person that needs the help might just be you.
TERRY Talks 