Perspective

A while ago I had a very busy day and wanted to start it out right.

I went to one of my favorite salad places and got an amazing "Spanish salad" with blackened chicken, manchego cheese and a bunch of other great stuff.  I intentionally did not eat it all, realizing that around 3 pm, I would want continued nourishment and it would be a great pick me up.  As I was eating it, a panhandler came around asking for money.  He wanted to buy something specific from a restaurant, or so he told me.  I tried to guard my heart from cynicism and gave him a little change and he moved on.  I packed up my salad and got ready to leave for work.

I started doing internal math in my head, figuring out the bills my husband and I had to pay, and how we would be able to pay for Christmas and all that internal math/budgeting that people worry about unless they are independently wealthy.  As I was in the middle of this haze walking, a middle aged woman came over to me politely.  She was wearing nice clothes, had a suitcase and looked like she could have been my own mom, traveling.  She politely asked, "Miss, may I please have that salad if you don't need it?"  I came out of my "worry zone" and immediately gave it to her.  It was kind of a reflex.  Her politeness and clear need of food kind of shocked me.  She was definitely not a typical panhandler, anyone who would ask for the half-eaten lunch of someone else, not money or any other pleas, was actually a person in need.  I wish I would have talked or befriended her more, but I did have to rush to get to work.  She did me a great service though.  She turned my heart from one of worry to one of gratefulness and before I gathered my thoughts, she took off with, "God Bless you today."  Her need was a blessing to me.  I hope to have more opportunities to return her blessing to others.