Leaving the Door of Compassion Open

--by monkeyinpajamas, posted Oct 17, 2009

Two days ago I was woken up at 1 AM. My roomie stood at the door (she was returning from a club) along with a huge middle aged man with long hair.

"Please let him in", she told me, "He has been locked out of his apartment". She had seen him , cold and shivering (it had snowed the previous night) and immediately asked him to sleep at our place. He was a law student in his fifties who had been doing his homework at the laundromat when he found he had left his keys in his house.

I'll be honest, I'm pretty square. I have never had a strange man sleep in my house before. My roommate and I are both less than 5 ft 3 and we have been asked to 'not speak to strangers' since we were kids.Not to mention we're in a new city that we have lived in for less than a month. And here we were, soon giving the man my blanket and pillows. He accepted our hospitality with reluctance and decency and as soon as dawn broke he spoke to maintenance and got back into his apartment.

The next day he came to our house beaming, telling us he owes us big time for not being frozen out in the cold. He left us a beautiful card saying - "Thank you so much. Your actions were so sincere. What are the chances that two really beautiful women let you sleep in their house when you're frozen cold?"

He cooked us a wonderful simple 'thank you' dinner over which he told us about his life (barber, vietnam vet, priest, law student) . He told us how he was completely touched by our concern for a total stranger. I learnt a lot that evening. As he narrated how once he brought a homeless man in to eat Christmas dinner with his family, a lump rose in my throat.

My chain-smoking, compulsive drinking roommate taught me a huge lesson : Let go of your fear, always leave the door of compassion open and you can never go wrong.

And I still have goosebumps.

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Posted by monkeyinpajamas
Oct 17, 2009
Comments (18)

Readers Comments

JuneBug wrote: Nice story !..and you made another friend as well !! :)

madeusmile wrote: Fear comes in all shapes and sizes, doesn't it? It is a shame that it causes us to put up barricades against good people some times. Very kind of you two!

Jacinda wrote: Wow what a wonderful story! Thanks so much for sharing :) You are your friend sure would have touched that mans heart. Have a wonderful day! Love and smiles, Jacinda :)

LoveandLight1111 wrote: Very nice story. Thanks for sharing :)

sethi wrote: Great story , thanks for facing your fear and overcoming it.

Peggy wrote: We can all learn from this. Never judge a book by the cover. Not everyone would do what you did, but bless you. Everyone reaps what they sew, never give up on humanity, for it is by being sympathetic and compassionate that makes us and keeps us one step up from animals!

Debra wrote: I am all choked up by this story. I have repeatedly received criticism for taking risks to my personal safety for compassion's sake. I guess i needed to hear that others also feel compelled to do what compassion asks in the face of the possible dangers to self. Thank you very much for sharing your story.

bharnig wrote: Nice lesson. Thanks for sharing.

Sharon wrote: Lovely, uplifting story and something that we can all practice in a very simple way. Many thanks for sharing this terrific idea. Bravo!

cabbage wrote: Wonderful story--and thanks to you and your roommate for being angels to this man.

Much love and hugs,
Cabbage

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