Last night, whilst I was out hunting Pokemon, a friend and I came across a little old lady on a mobility scooter. the battery had run flat out so we pushed her home. It would have been so easy just to keep walking. A few more steps and we’d have been out of sight and I would have got the PokeStop i’d been walking towards. A few more steps and that lady could have been sitting around for ages. Now i’m not looking for a medal or a standing ovation. I’m just asking that we all think about how truly blessed we are. I’m sure we all have battles to deal with in our daily lives but 10 minutes of kindness doesn’t cost a thing.
A few years back someone said to me “Be kind, then, you’ll be rich”. I didn’t understand what was meant and, at the time, i wasn’t that bothered. A few years later a friend and I embarked on a little adventure where we were to face adversity. We decided to get a better understanding of homelessness by becoming ‘homeless’ for 24 hours in our home town of London. You can read the full adventure HERE.
One of the main things that sticks out from, what turned out to be one of the hardest 24hours of my life, was that people who have less seem to have more to give and ask for nothing in return but your time. Whilst out, we decided to buy sandwiches and go to meet a few people. We met a man outside a very prestigious hotel and offered him some sandwiches. He accepted but declined a second. This played on my mind. He had no guarantee when his next meal would come along yet he was still thinking about others. I can almost guarantee that I would have taken two. Hell, if you offered me free food in my current comfortable situation I would still take it!
A little further down the road we met another man and his lovely dog. He was an ex soldier. Just that alone, broke my heart. He explained that Pret A Manger, the popular coffee chain, offer all their end of day food to the homeless and he was waiting for them.
It turned out this was true and the staff from Pret done their good deed. This man didn’t have a bean but refused our help knowing full well he was going to get dinner that night and our goods could help someone else. We ended up spending a bit of time with him. Letting him talk. Us listening. Thats all he wanted. He just wanted a companion for a while. That night changed me. I no longer see homeless people as bums. The people we met were some of the nicest people i’d ever met. So humble and kind.
I vowed that I would try to give back in my life. It didn’t have to be daily, weekly or monthly. Just when I could, when the opportunity arose. I was going to try to be a kinder person.
Please don’t see this as me judging anyone. As I said, up until I had my experience, I was blind to what was happening in the world. All I ask is that we all try and do something small this week to make a big difference in someone else’s world.
So ask yourself this - At what point of having everything, did you have nothing to give?
Until next time.
Much Love
Miss Make It Happen
