Brighten Your Day

Just wanted to share something that humbled me last Friday afternoon. I was at a restaurant eating with my family.

As we finished up, a homeless man entered with a trolley full of his belongings, clearly very hot from walking outside and clearly hungry and thirsty.

We got up to leave and he walked past us and sat at the table we’d just left and started eating some leftover chips.

We noticed the staff were unimpressed, motioning to each other to go clear the plates away from the table. As we walked out we heard someone say “excuse me”.

It was the man who sat at our table - I’d left my purse behind and he was walking towards us to give it back.

We said thank you, profusely. My partner then ordered him a meal and a few drinks to express our gratitude.

I’m never one to advertise my good deeds or seek recognition and while we do always try help those in need, this was more about not judging a book by its cover. The staff were clearly annoyed that he was there eating leftovers, meanwhile this gentleman was just quick to give my purse back.

As we were walking away and on the drive home, I was explaining to my 6 year old what had happened and the importance of helping others, as well as being grateful to have a home to live in and food to eat.

In a further humbling and frustrating twist, 2 days later I looked in my purse for a card and realized I had $50 cash in there all along. I so badly wished I could’ve given it to him! He could easily have taken it but he didn’t. I was just too focussed on trying to explain the importance of kindness to my child and it never crossed my mind to check the purse in the first place.

This world is cruel and hard at the best of times but there are some truly beautiful and honest hearts out there.

May we all try and do what we can when we can to make someone’s day a little brighter