Lesson from the Check-Out Line

--by Wayfarer, posted Jan 20, 2013

A little part of me thought about going to another checkout line. This one had the shortest queue, there was only one guy in it, but he was in a wheelchair and there seemed to be some complications going on.

Well, I stamped on that little part, and we stepped in behind him. At first, he seemed to be having difficulty getting his groceries onto the conveyor belt. But after a while, I realized that what he was actually doing was separating it into two lots.

Still, getting the stuff up there was no easy task in itself. I offered to help, but he and the checkout lady had it under control. He asked Julie if she would mind putting his empty basket away. Then he reached for his wallet which was in a pouch on one side of his chair. The way he was positioned and the fact he only had one usable arm made this quite a stretch for him, so I helped there.

What must it be like, I wondered, to be so dependent on other people like that?

The checkout operator came around and gave him his change and the items he needed to have to hand. She hung one bag of groceries over a handle at the back of his chair.

I offered to get the other, bigger, bag and he said, “No. But you could do me a favour. Take that lot along to the entrance and give it to Angela.”

I dutifully did that, leaving Julie with our shopping.

Angela, it turned out, was collecting food for people who might otherwise go hungry! I hadn't even noticed her before.

This guy, despite the limitations that his physical condition imposed on him, had bought more than twice as much shopping as he needed – and given the bigger bag away to help other people!

He didn't let the fact that he needed help stop him from being a help. He may have been limited physically, but his heart was more than capable of overcoming all that. And it changed my idea of dependence when I realized that the help he had given was more than the help he had received.

So … what’s holding the rest of us back?

16.7K Reads

Posted by Wayfarer
Jan 20, 2013
Comments (22)

Readers Comments

heartwarmer wrote: Great story! And a good reminder to all of us when we start feeling sorry for ourselves that we really don't have it that bad and we need to help others who need it more.

swans10 wrote: Wonderful story..very inspiring..thanks for sharing...:)

MakeSomeoneSmile wrote: It is very interesting how our attitude makes all the difference. He found his own way to make a difference in spite of some of the challenges he faces in life. A wonderful lesson for us all, thanks for sharing your story my kind friend! :)

kidzfirst wrote: Powerful message - thanks for sharing!

cabbage wrote: What an inspiring story---thank you for sharing!

I'm glad you joined his line :-)

denisemj wrote: This is a powerul story, thank you so much for helping out and for sharing this story :)

minatalon wrote: What a tremendous example of generosity and compassion. Beautiful!

same wrote: This is a great story. Thanks for sharing it :-)

hennie wrote: Truly wonderful act of kindness thanks for sharing :)

touched wrote: This is a nice story! It is very sad. I liked it though.

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