My below post from last night about following your inner guidance wasn't random...
Something pretty awesome happened to me yesterday and I'd like to share it with you.
I left work about half an hour before my usual time, turned left to walk home and there, on the street corner, an old lady stopped me to ask for directions to the welfare office.
I had to remove my iPod headphones and ask her to repeat the question a few times as she had no teeth and I couldn't understand what she was saying. She was lost, cold, hard of hearing, had a thick cataract in one eye, was illiterate and had a hard time keeping her balance on the super icy and snowy sidewalk.
I didn't know where the welfare office was but I couldn't leave her there - the more questions I asked her, the more I had to help her. She was such a sweet granny too, answering as best she could and just hanging onto my arm for dear life.
She had apparently taken the bus from across town with her roommate, whom she lost sight of near my office. She said she was 64 but she looked 84 and wasn't entirely coherent - she didn't know her address nor her phone number and kept repeating things.
At first I thought she'd be OK if I brought her to the subway station so I gave her a ticket (she didn't have a penny on her), but as we shuffled along and I asked more questions, it became obvious there was no way in hell I could leave her alone.
It took us 20 minutes to walk 2 blocks!
We finally made it to a city access office and at the information counter I found out that indeed, there was a welfare center on the 3rd floor... which had closed 10 minutes before we got there.
So my only other option was to put her in a cab and pay the driver to take her home - only, where did she live?
I asked to see her wallet for ID, and was dismayed to find only 3 hospital cards in it. With 2 different addresses and not one matched what she was telling me where she lived.
No ID, no money, no transit card, NOTHING.
Although she had on clean and relatively new clothes, she had no purse, no winter boots, no scarf and her coat didn't button all the way to her neck. With the temps starting to plummet way below freezing in the dark, I could do only one thing: walk her to the police station which, luckily, was just next door.
Montreal police ROCK.
The immediately asked me what the situation was and just took charge. They searched their database for her name, the name of her roommate (who also had the appartment key, apparently) while I supplied her with endless tissues so she could finally blow her nose.
It was taking a while so they asked for my contact info and assured me they would make sure she got home safely, not to worry and to go home. I guess they must be used to elderly people wandering and getting lost...
Gawd, it was hard to leave her.
How the hell does one get attached to a toothless, rambling grannie so quickly?
I felt like I was put there at the right time and at the right place to make a difference. What would have happened to her if I had left work 5 minutes earlier or 5 minutes later? And why was I compelled to be so protective of her like that?
That's what I meant about Karma, about believing that something ties us together, about doing what your inner voice guides you to.
I hope she got home OK and that someone is taking care of her. I hope she's not alone, I hope she has enough to eat, I hope she's not cold. Fuck. Why didn't I stay and get her phone number at least, so I could call and check today.
Hard to let go.
Very hard.
\end of Inner Turmoil post\
15 comments:
You did such a wonderful thing helping her out. I would have done the same thing...we must help the helpless. I feel that she is fine today, most likely wore out from her big day in the city.
Kudos to you. You rock.
We all get chances in our lives to be an angel to someone else, an unexpected protector or provider. This was one of your chances and you rose to it splendidly :o)
The police would have made sure all was well, but why don't you contact them to put your mind at rest.
good for you. I believe in angels, and I believe like Sian that we sometimes get called to be angel ourselves.
You know what? You are AWESOME! This story warmed my cold little Chinese-hardened heart. Seriously. I have been having a really hard time here, wondering why I have given up two years of my life to try to help people who mostly could not care less I am here. We never know where we can be of service to our fellow citizens on this earth.
Thanks for sharing this. I too would want to know where she is and how she is doing. I hope you can find out.
And yes, Montreal police rock!!
TD- you did well! really well! :)
aww,techno, you are the sweetest person!!
Your her guardian angel. :)
Seems you're in the right place at the right time fairly often... Like, remember the time you hit the "next blog" button? :D :)
You're! Dang it! That's what I get for changing my sentence mid-sentence. Goah!
Oh TD! That story instantly reminded me of my mother. (not that she was toothless or anything), but I was drawn to your blog post and when I finished had watering eyes. What a WONDERFUL thing you did. You took the time to care in a world where most people are too busy or dont want to be bothered. How wonderful of you! You were at the right place at the right time...you were her angel! Thats what I call paying it forward - because what goes around comes around and I am sure that lady helped someone else in her lifetime and now you were bringing it back to her. And in turn, you gave your time and concern and it will come back to you as well - you'll see.
You can surely call the police dept for an update on her. I just hope that the lady and her roommate make better choices when traveling to ensure their welfare is taken care of more safely - especially in the cold weather.
Its women like that who make me volunteer and adopt grandparents and mentor under privileged youth. Giving to others is a big deal for me an I applaud you because you made a difference and it counts!
Hats off lady! Well done!
Wow.
But I'm sure the police figured out where she belonged and got her home.
Thank god you were there.
You are seriously the sweetest person ever. Most people would have just left her there, assuming she was crazy and homeless.
Good for you :)
What an amazing thing to have happen. Thank you for sharing this wonderful thing you did. It really makes my heart melt.
And you are so right, we are all connected to each other.
This kind of thing is heartbreaking. Thank goodness a lovely person like you was there! If only more people were as heartfelt.
That was really awesome of you!
Techno u r such a warm person. I feel for the old lady, I hope she has a nice place to warm her feet during the last couple of weeks of the year.
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