This just happened.
I got home after a very very very wet Parkrun (or as I called it this morning, “Parkswim”)
And my second shift for the day had just been cancelled. So I thought, instead of heading straight into the shower to defrost…I’ll walk to the shops to buy some eggs.
It’s very busy being a Saturday morning, but I notice a woman sitting on a bench with tears streaming down her face. She looks about my age. Maybe a little bit older. She’s sitting perfectly straight and it just stands out to me so much how all these people are buzzing around but no one seems to be noticing a woman crying.
So I go up to her and say that I see she’s crying. Could I sit with her for a bit.
I explain that I’ve just had a shift cancelled and I’m not in a hurry.
She smiles which I take as an invite to sit down next to her.
I can tell her breathing is uncomfortable so I don’t force any conversation.
After a couple of moments she apologises and explains that she had spine surgery a few weeks ago and she thought she would be okay going to the shops for some supplies.
But the few items got too heavy and she had a panic attack and had to drop everything and get out of the shop.
I said that seemed totally fair enough and she had done the right thing, and sitting here getting fresh air was exactly what she needed.
Long story short is that she was craving chicken soup but didn’t want to be a burden to her housemates and ask them to buy the ingredients for her. And she thought a short walk to the shops would be okay. She had now called them to ask them to collect her but no one was answering.
By now her breathing seemed to have settled.
I asked if she was open for some unsolicited advice.
She laughed and said yes.
So I explained that I also had spine surgery 12 years ago, and my chiro had surprised me by recently saying that I’m one of the few patients that it had been successful for. When I asked him to explain he had stopped for a few moments to think about it and then said that he thinks that it’s because I didn’t rush my healing. Most of his patients are so desperate to go back to feeling “normal” and to not be a burden. And by rushing the healing they are setting themselves up for trouble down the track.
She nodded and said it’s just so hard to have to rely on others.
Which was a perfect moment for me to ask her to tell me exactly what she needed for her chicken soup because it’s EXACTLY what I crave when I’m unwell…and I would go back in the shop to buy the ingredients. And because I live so close I could easily pop home to get my car and drive her back.
She started to say no, but must have realised that I was going to do it anyways…
It was only three items to buy but I decided to add some bone broth as well, since I love adding that to my soup.
And when she asked me later in the car for how much to transfer I said $20. She hadn’t seen the shopping yet and I figured it would be a nice surprise to receive a bone broth bonus.
Well…when I got home…I realised that she had paid me $30 instead of $20!
And she did that BEFORE seeing what I had bought her.
So it was actually her being kind to me!
All this to say, once I got home I told my daughter that I had a perfect story that explains how I don’t see money as numbers but as energy. And how it’s so lovely to come across someone who obviously has the same relationship with it.
My daughter listened and agreed that it was lovely…but then said:
Mum, do you know what the actual most important part of the story is? It’s the fact that a woman your age said YES when someone offered to help her out. That is just so rare. You guys, actually all of us…are so conditioned to do things on our own. To not accept someone reaching out. And instead she gave herself an opportunity to be part of the sisterhood. Which is so beautiful.
So there you go.
That’s my little story from this morning.
Feel free to share this with a friend who would appreciate a chicken soup for the soul story.
A lovely story that deserves sharing. I've just spent most of the afternoon reading tales from the Middle East and was feeling emotionally drained. This hasn't totally rejuvenated me, but has gone a long way towards warming my heart. ❤️
I was seriously injured last year and was incapacitated for around 4 months. I asked for help and received text messages but no practical help from anyone but my mum who travelled from NZ to help after the first op. It's insane that I've lived in Australia for 9 years and STILL don't know anyone who would even make the effort to come visit to break up my days staring at the walls. I felt like I had friends but when the shit his the fan, you realise you do need to do things alone. My car mechanic felt sorry for me and did pop around a couple of times to sort car things to make it easier for me, and offered to pick up a loaf of bread and a packet of ciggies or bottle of coke if that was my thing. Him, I liked.