IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

[schlomo]

It’s the Little Things That Count

Soon after I situated myself on the downtown bus that would take me to a doctor’s appointment, I saw a middle-aged disabled woman enter the bus and pay a dollar for the ride.

When the bus driver told her that the new fare was $1.25 for people showing their Medicare ID, the woman balked at retrieving hers from her voluminous purse. Instead, she slid a quarter into the tray and began to precariously push her walker down the aisle.

The bus driver, however, was not deterred. He demanded that the overwrought woman come back to him and show him her Medicare ID. Otherwise, she would have to pay $3.00. The woman was not to be intimidated. She scrounged through her purse until she found a crumpled-up valid Medicare card. The bus driver, satisfied with her discovery, drove on.

The woman eventually sat down next to me. Her hands were shaking while she vainly tried to zip up her purse.

I felt sorry that she had so much trouble with that intractable purse. Usually, I don’t interfere with anyone on the bus. But yesterday, seeing how unnerved the woman seemed to be as she was fumbling with it, I got involved. I reached over to her and helped her close her purse.

The woman was relieved that I had helped her out. She wasn’t too effusive, but she did smile and nodded at my intervention.

Although I’m not a superhero, I relish any way that I can, even minutely, safely help someone who I think would appreciate my concern. It’s sure better than being thrown under the bus.

[JohnW150496]

good for you, for helping out.

I have done things like that myself.  If some elderly person is shy of a bus fee for 50 cents or a dollar...really, what does it hurt to pay her way???