This afternoon I decided to visit a local consignment shop, searching for some summer clothes for the kids and a few “new to me” books to add to their already overflowing bookshelves. (We LOVE books!) The sale encouraged us to bring our own bags to make it easier to hold on to our items while walking around and it wasn’t long before the foldable cart I brought was half full.
Usually consignment sale checkout lines are very long with a wait time of 45 minutes or more. I was prepared for this delay and quickly joined the line that was already wrapped halfway around the store. As I was standing in line, I noticed the lady in front of me was leaning on a cane. Step-by-step we shuffled along in the line and I realized her bags, overflowing with clothes, were dragging along the cement floor. As I looked closer, I saw the bags were wrapped around the base of her cane and she was pulling them across the floor as we advanced towards the cash registers.
Well, this just wouldn’t do – here I was standing right there with this half-empty cart! I gently tapped the lady on her back and said with a smile, “Here – let me help you with your bags!” I then bent down and unwrapped the bags from her cane and added them to my rolling cart. “There’s no need for you to drag those along – let me put them here until we get to the front of the line.” She was very appreciative of my kind gesture and for the next half hour we filled the time chatting about this and that.
Finally it was our turn to checkout so I carried the items to her spot and placed her bags on the counter. She thanked me profusely for helping her out which brightened my day! 🙂 As I turned back to the line to wait for my turn, it occurred to me that she might need help taking her items to the car once purchased. I returned to her and whispered, “If you have time to wait, I’ll take your items to your car for you, too!” She turned to me with disbelief and joy radiating from her face. “Are you sure? You don’t mind? How sweet of you!”
It didn’t take long for me to checkout my items and within minutes I was pulling the rolling cart to her car. Along the way she told me more about herself and why she walked with a cane. Her name was Shirley and she suffered from spinal stenosis; she also had both hips replaced. “I can still walk, but I just get really tired sometimes.” We found her car and I placed the bags in the trunk. “Thank you for your kindness!” she added as we hugged and parted ways.
It was a wonderful start to my weekend! May you be inspired to notice those around you and take initiative to offer help. We could all use some help every now and again, wouldn’t you agree?
Be blessed, dear readers and Happy Friday! 🙂
