Good Deeds

With the ongoing pandemic, many of us are left to tightening our budget and limiting what we would normally not think twice about buying. But what about those people who are homeless and have no way of getting life's necessities. What if we went out of our way to help someone less fortunate than us, even if we were low on funds ourselves?

A few weeks ago I went to Walgreen's to pick up some medication that I had been needing badly since I had been unable to afford them. As I approached the entrance, there was an older man, probably in his late 60s, sitting against the outside of the building. He had a bag with him which I assumed was his clothes. He looked as if he hadn't showered in days, maybe weeks or months. I usually try to avoid getting near these people because you never know what their mentality is. Many are angry at the world and don't care what they do to others out of anger. A lot of them are veteran's begging for money because they can't afford the pay they get from the VA. It's actually quite sad that these men and woman fought for our country and our freedom, yet we still see them on the street corners begging for money or help. Especially those veterans that went to Vietnam. Most of them didn't want to go, but they had to. Why? Cause our Government said they would be taken care of when they returned back to their loved ones. Sadly, so many of them did not come back and left behind wives, husbands, and their children. And the ones that did come back, they did not come back the same person they were before. Many of them developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and still have nightmares of the combat in Vietnam. My ex-father in-law was one of the ones that came back. I remember my ex-husband said him and his brothers would call him "Rambo". When they were kids, one time they were playing in their yard when all of a sudden they were being hit with rocks from what seemed to be falling from the sky. But, in fact, it was actually him on top of the roof of their house, throwing rocks towards them believing that they were the enemy and he was throwing "grenades". This was clearly a PTSD situation that could have been avoided had they got the proper mental health treatment when they came back from Vietnam.

This man at Walgreen's didn't say anything as I walked by him and into the store. He simply smiled and nodded his head. As I walked in, a sense of sympathy came over me. After I got my medications, I decided to do something that although wasn't a big deal to me, may be a big deal to him. A lot of homeless people just want money. But I decided to buy this man a big bottle of cold water. It was a bit warm outside, so I'm sure he was dehydrated. When I was paying for the bottle of water, I told the cashier why I was buying it. She smiled and said that it was a nice gesture towards someone I don't even know. She then said, if there were more people like you in this country, it would be a better place. I smiled when she told me this. And she's right. What if every single person, every single day, stopped what they were doing and decided to do a good deed just because. This world would be such a better place because you have made a difference in someone's life.

As I walked outside, he was still there, so I handed him the bottle of water and he said thank you and I walked off. I don't know what happened to him after that day. I haven't seen him there since. But I'd like to think that just maybe that made his day. A complete stranger going out of her way to buy him something everyone needs. A simple gesture of sympathy and compassion. I urge more people to do the same because you don't know what someone is going through. Maybe that day I brightened his day and he had to will to live another day. Maybe he was at his wits end with his life. That bottle of water, may be insignificant to most people, may have just been the thing he needed. I don't know and never will know. All I know is that even though I was low on money myself, I never thought twice about buying someone in need a simple bottle of water. And it's amazing how you feel after doing something like this. It is rewarding not only for the person receiving the gift, but also for the person giving the gift. Stay humble people!!