“Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so.” – Swami Vivekananda
Recently an unexpected situation occurred that derailed most of my evening. A family member called only several minutes after I entered the house late in the afternoon to tell me she had a flat tire. I had to creep through the rush hour traffic to change this now deflated tire before she had to get off work and attempt to head home. The experience was taxing to say the least as must-needed tools were missing. Eventually it all worked out and I was able to put on the spare tire an hour before her shift ended.
Driving home, my mind tried to focus on the negatives of losing my planned evening of activity and an early dinner. But something kept prodding me. That something was actually a reminder that this unwanted occurrence began and ended positively. She made it to work on a tire ready to deflate at a moment’s notice. She was able to contact me. I had the ability to actually change the tire when things looked dire. And we all made it to and from our destinations without harm to ourselves or to others. Yes, I lost the time I had planned for my own enjoyment. But the encounter reinforced the fact that your helping hand could be reached for at any moment. It’s up to us to reach back and do our best to help.
Sometimes we have to take a step back, ignore our selfish thoughts and examine the seemingly disappointing, unwanted situations to truly understand just how well things work out for not only your betterment, but also for the betterment of others if we chose to help those who can’t help themselves.
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