Don’t We All? The Reality of Life, We’re All Needy

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By George Kimando

A friend sent me this story which i share here with a few edits. You may have seen it too do rounds especially on social media. What i pick from it are the profound lessons on our reality of life and destiny: our limitations, and that neither of us is too needy to not give a hand, nor none is too rich to never need a hand.

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I parked in front of the mall sitting inside my car waiting for my wife to get a few items from the supermarket. Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a tramp.

From his looks, he was clearly needy. He was ragged but had an air of dignity around him.

“I hope he doesn’t ask me for money”, I thought.

He didn’t.

He came and sat on the kerb nearby. After a few minutes, he spoke.

“That’s a very nice car you got there,” he said.

Thanks, i nonchalantly responded, and turned to my phone, ignoring him hoping he’ll get the cue and leave me alone.

He sat there quietly. The expected plea for money never came.

As the silence between us grew, something nudged me to ask if he needed any help, certain he’d jump in with a ‘yes’ and an outstretched grimy hand.

“Do you need any help?” I asked.

He took a few moments, like a sage pondering the implications of what he was about to say, making me rather uncomfortable.

The expected outstretched hand didn’t come. I started to repeat my question, then stopped when he answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget:

“DON’T WE ALL?” he asked matter of factly, like daring me to contradict this profound wisdom.

Those three words hit me deep.

DON’T WE ALL?

Maybe not for basic material things, but am certainly not utterly self sufficient. No one is.

I reached into my wallet and gave him quite a bit, more out of guilt that he spoke so much sense that was not prevalent to me.

No matter the extent of our accomplishments, we will always need others. No matter the extent of our challenges, we can always lend a hand.

It could be just a compliment, a different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos that only you through a torn world can see, a word of hope to a despairing soul, an opportunity.

Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Or more than that.

Perhaps he was sent by a great and wise power to minister to a soul too comfortable in their little cocoons.

Or even an Angel, dressed like a tramp, to light up the path for a man inside a car, feeling all so secure and important, that needed help in discernment.

DON’T WE ALL?

May we appreciate our limitations of time and space. What really matters in life. How much we really need in this life, the vanity of it all. That there’s clearly a higher power to whom we owe what we have.

That we chase the right things in life. Like humility, integrity, prudence and simplicity. I call it the HIPS principle.

Help someone; you are only a steward of whatever you’ve been granted.

We come, we go; the in-between defines who we truly are.

We often look for wisdom in great men and women, those of higher learning and accomplishments. May we find it in the simple and ordinary too.

Have a ‘Don’t we all’ reflective Sunday, and a great week ahead.

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