On my street, there’s an old lady who daily walks from one side to the other. She walks slowly, making short stops any time there’s a gate opening or if there’s a passer-by. Then, she utters the question: ‘what’s the time, dear?’. When she receives the reply, she nods or gives thanks and then she carries on, making sure to repeat the question to the next one.
When she first stopped
me, I thought she really needed to know the time. Now, I know better. She needs
the interaction we so desperately need as well. And maybe she arrived at the
conclusion that no one is bothered if asked about the time.
Today, I saw her
again. She stopped and asked the neighbor about the time. The neighbor replied
with the swiftness of one that is accustomed to such a question, especially
since they always have their gate open and thus are subjected daily to the question.
But nevertheless, the neighbor replies because sometimes we understand without
actually realizing that an answer is more than that, it’s helping the other keep
carrying on and it shows kindness, which we all need.
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