This afternoon I took Mikal to see her mom and grandma. They live in a senior apartment complex and it isn’t unusual to see older people toodling around in wheelchairs or walkers. Today, at the stop sign, an older woman approached me. She asked for a ride to Walgreens. The ‘old’ Walgreens was three blocks away. The ‘new’ Walgreens is four blocks away but there is a busy street to cross and a lot of traffic. I didn’t really have the time or the energy, but how could I say no?

Annie (that’s her name) was going for cigarettes. On the way she talked about how hard it is to quit smoking. Smoking a cigarette is her big treat and she looks forward to it all day. Kids, believe me when I tell you that you do NOT want to start smoking! She was missing most of her teeth and her clothes didn’t fit. She had a walker to help her because diabetes had done a number on her feet. Speaking of feet, she wasn’t wearing shoes. Her feet were so swollen that she couldn’t get them on. It looked like her skin was about to split open. We had a hard time getting her up and into the van so I offered to go in the store for her. She was $.22 short so I fumbled around in the bottom of my purse to make up the difference. On the way back to her house she chattered on about how thankful she was for the ride.  Walking four blocks and back was hard on her feet. Her nurse is always telling her not to walk so much. I joked that maybe she should get a prescription for her smokes and get them mailed to her. For one second her face lit up until she realized I was joking and we laughed together. She seemed genuinely happy and content when I dropped her off.

I spent just fifteen minutes with her, but it made me grateful for the things I have and the people in my life. Thank you.

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