I was at McDonald’s in Poughkeepsie, NY, around 10:30 tonight, getting fries and a milkshake for my daughter when I noticed a man sitting next to his bike. I had a feeling he might want food but couldn’t get any, since he didn’t have a car and the lobby was closed. So, I offered to go through the drive-thru for him.
He showed me a crumpled coupon for a BOGO Big Mac and was having trouble getting all the money together, so I offered to buy his meal for him.
The sad part is that before I offered, we watched car after car drive right past him. I thought, “That must be such a terrible feeling, to watch the world go by and no one notices you, like you don’t even exist…”
It made me realize how fast the world moves, and sometimes we forget the simple, good qualities we all have, like empathy, kindness, compassion, and generosity.
So, if you take anything from this post, please be kind to others. One day, you could be the one sitting next to your bike, hungry, and watching the world pass you by just like you did to someone else.
Credit: Christopher Michael