There's a part of me that doesn't want to share this, but there's a part of me that does because maybe you, wherever you are in the world, can do something good to make up for the bad that I saw today.
Today when I was shopping and small woman in her 80's came up the cashier that was ringing me up and said, "While I was looking at the greeting cards, someone took my purse out of my basket." She never said stole, but that's what happened. Three days before Christmas, someone stole the purse from a woman in her 80's in the middle of the day, in a crowded store and no one did anything, myself included. My only advice to the stunned cashier was to say, "Call 911 and get her some help."
It was absolutely shocking to me to hear this. I had been in pretty much every aisle as I went in as the beginning shopper, not really knowing where anything was. The store was chaos. And when I tried to think if I saw anything suspicious, I realized how much I was in my own world, completely oblivious to what was going on around me. I was no help. I saw nothing. Even waiting in line for fifteen minutes, having nothing to do, but watch the world, I was in my head. Really, I can't tell you what I saw, who I was standing by, who came in and out because I wasn't paying attention and that frustrates me to no end.
I don't know the end of the story. I don't know if the police came or if she ever recovered her purse (I doubt it). But I keep trying to think how I could have reacted differently, better--how I felt I didn't know what to do when she told the cashier. How now I look back and wished I would have stayed instead of feeling as if I just wanted out of that store and back to my family that were waiting for me outside.
And no one really did anything but shake their heads, acknowledging the wrongness, but nonetheless, not responding to it, just accepting it. I am just as guilty in this as well.
If you are reading this right now, in the next two days, do something generous for a stranger, or something kind--not opening the door kind, but something you wouldn't have done. I need to hear of some random acts of kindness, I do. If you want to post anonymously here to say what you did, please do. I know the world is full of good people...remind me again. I'll do something as well.
