I tried to give two people a helping hand yesterday. What I got in return was gratitude from one of them, and a lesson in self-sufficiency from the other.
Showers were in the forecast when I set out for my daily two-mile walk on our local riverside trail, so I took an umbrella. My route takes me south for a mile along the west bank of the Kennebec River, after which I turn around and head back to the parking lot.
On the return trip to the car, I came up behind a woman in her late 50s or early 60s. She was with a short and aged, but very erect, woman who was at least in her late 70s, and probably older. The elderly woman, who wore a sweater but no coat or hat, was using a walker. Both women were progressing very slowly, presumably because the older woman was setting the pace.
As I came abreast of the duo, who did not have an umbrella, it began to rain lightly. I knew that, walking at my fast pace, I still had about 10 minutes to go before I reached the parking lot. So the women had an even longer walk ahead of them, because of their slower speed.
That’s when I gave my umbrella to the younger woman and told her I’d wait in the parking lot to pick it up. She thanked me profusely, and I went on my way.
Some time after I got back to my car, the women showed up. The younger woman returned the umbrella and said: “I used it part of the way, but she (nodding to the white-haired woman) is so full of pride that she wouldn’t let me hold it over her.”
At that point, the older woman fixed me with a stern gaze, smiled, and added in a forceful voice: “All these years and I haven’t melted yet.”
Showers were in the forecast when I set out for my daily two-mile walk on our local riverside trail, so I took an umbrella. My route takes me south for a mile along the west bank of the Kennebec River, after which I turn around and head back to the parking lot.
On the return trip to the car, I came up behind a woman in her late 50s or early 60s. She was with a short and aged, but very erect, woman who was at least in her late 70s, and probably older. The elderly woman, who wore a sweater but no coat or hat, was using a walker. Both women were progressing very slowly, presumably because the older woman was setting the pace.
As I came abreast of the duo, who did not have an umbrella, it began to rain lightly. I knew that, walking at my fast pace, I still had about 10 minutes to go before I reached the parking lot. So the women had an even longer walk ahead of them, because of their slower speed.
That’s when I gave my umbrella to the younger woman and told her I’d wait in the parking lot to pick it up. She thanked me profusely, and I went on my way.
Some time after I got back to my car, the women showed up. The younger woman returned the umbrella and said: “I used it part of the way, but she (nodding to the white-haired woman) is so full of pride that she wouldn’t let me hold it over her.”
At that point, the older woman fixed me with a stern gaze, smiled, and added in a forceful voice: “All these years and I haven’t melted yet.”
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