So I got out of class and walked to my bus stop, it's about 11:36am. My bus shows up about 11:42am. Suddenly I hear this sound. It sounds like a banshee. Literally. I'm so engrossed in my book, that I look up confused for a moment, trying to figure out who had the nerve to interrupt my reading so rudely. Eventually my reading haze clears and I spot this lady laying sprawled out on the ground. In the road. With her bike tangled in her legs. She's still hollering like she's bleeding out. So I slap my book shut and fling it in my bag as I'm walking quickly over to the lady. I'm trying to take in what's happened before I get there so I don't have to ask too many questions. It seemed to be pretty straightforward. Her purse got caught in her wheel and the bike flipped over.
The guy sitting a little ways away from me had gotten up to follow as well, just as a man had crossed the street and another student had jogged over to her. This is what we do. We're kind. It's the kind of people that we like on our campus. Some places you would find people that didn't even stop to try to help her. But a few of them have gone out of their way to help her. I, personally, along with the other guy sitting near me, are taking the chance of missing the bus that only comes every 30 minutes to help her out.
I'm standing there, trying to calm her down. She keeps repeating herself, but eventually we get her standing. She says she's calling her supervisor to tell them that she won't be able to work. I'm thinking this is a bit of an overkill, but I'm not saying anything to her just yet since she might be worse than I realize. However, she kept saying her leg hurt. Then limped on her other leg. Now I'm just frowning. So she calls her mom, instead of her supervisor, to get a ride. Even as I'm asking her to just please walk slowly over to the bench so she can sit down. I swear she's ignoring me. But I'm patient, and slowly cross the street with her bag, while two guys help her walk and another rolls her bike. A nice man also backed his pickup truck to us to see if he could help, for which I was grateful. So I explained what happened and he watched as we took as best care of her as we could.
Unfortunately, our bus showed up about then. I walked as slow as I could after setting her things down where she would be put, but eventually I had to turn and walk quickly to my bus. The guy and I both felt awful for leaving her. But she had a ride, she wasn't bleeding, and there were other people. I still feel bad. I don't like doing that.
Even though she didn't thank us, or even really acknowledged that people were helping her, being there and having the choice to go to her aid made me feel amazing. That's the feeling I long for in life. Being able to help someone once again shows me that it is my passion to be a nurse.
Maybe what I'm trying to say is this. Just because you don't get anything in return for helping someone, does not mean it doesn't matter. While the lady didn't know who I was, what I was studying, why I even helped her, just the fact that I did do something for her may have an affect on her one day. Maybe she'll do the same thing one day and help someone in need. On and on. The cycle continues. I hope so, at least. So I'm going to keep on helping even if it's only giving and I'm not getting anything back. Or rather, getting anything back from that person. Because I always get something back. Whether it my own feeling of doing something right, or seeing the happy faces of the person's closest relatives and friends, or better yet, seeing the bewildered faces of onlookers who were too afraid to help. It all matters.
No matter if I get thanks, I'll know I did something in a world where no one cares about anything but themselves. And that's the biggest gift of them all. Next time someone needs a hand, lend them yours, you never know when you might need help of your own.
xoxo, the little birdy.
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