Doing the Right Thing

There are moments in life where the Right Thing is staring you down and you ignore it. Perhaps it’s out of fear, or the fact is ignorance is bliss, but sometimes when the Right Thing is gazing at you, hoping you’ll notice its presence, you have the opportunity to embrace the Right Thing, and yet you shun the chance.

Last night I was heading into my neighborhood grocery store to pick up dinner. My husband and I were both had another crazy Monday at the office so I was going to pick up something tasty for our supper.

As I walked across the parking lot I noticed an older man sitting on a bench outside the grocery store. I had seen him there last week except that day he was there in the afternoon. His clothes were old and gray, his long beard growing out several inches from his elderly chin. He looked exactly the same as when I’d seen him days before.

Instead of politely saying “hello” or “good evening” I averted my gaze as I continued into the grocery store. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the man clutching a cup of Starbucks. He had the same coffee cup when I’d seen him the other day. As a fellow Starbucks fan I hoped that it wasn’t the same cup, or that the Starbucks in the grocery store was kind enough to give him a refill.

The Right Thing would have said “ask him if he needs help?” I could have stopped, smiled, and asked if I could buy him a sandwich. Instead I ignored the chance to help this man. Possibly it was out of fear (Mother always said don’t talk to strangers). Whatever it was I didn’t have the courage to just approach the man to find out if there was anything I could do to help him.

The grocery store clerk inside confirmed my assumption that he was a beggar. I didn’t ask anything else, just nodded my head and continued shopping. It was hard as I walked around the store collecting items for our meal to get the vision of the man out of my head. As I moved into the bakery section I noticed fresh loaves of bread were on sale for $1.99. I picked up two, one for our family, and one to offer to the Starbucks fan when I went back outside.

How many times do we turn away from someone instead of asking if they need help? Why can we not walk up to the Right Thing, hug it for all its goodness, and make the world a better place?

Why is doing the Right Thing so damn hard?

My logic in picking up the extra loaf of bread was totally bunk. After paying for our food I went back outside and the man was gone. I looked across the parking lot but there was no sign of him. I had the loaf of bread in my hand, and caught another store clerk inside kindly looking at me from the other side of the store window. He nodded, and I nodded back.

The Catholic inside me said “leave it, someone will take it, and maybe he’ll come back?” So I left the bread on the bench, thinking of it like communion at an altar. I realize now that really was just years of Catholic guilt manifesting in a silly action.

Now after thinking back to the whole experience I truly feel quite foolish. It was so inefficient not to offer help in the first place and just leave food sitting on a bench. My positive side says “maybe someone else who was hungry took it.” But I’ll never know.

What I do know is the next time I go to a grocery store, and see someone sitting outside that needs a break, I’m going to embrace the Right Thing. Whether it’s a Boy Scout selling popcorn, a Girl Scout troop with cookies, the Salvation Army ringing a bell for spare change, or my friend the fellow Starbucks lover.

In the coming holiday season we all have the opportunity to show a little love to the Right Thing. We ignore doing the Right Thing a lot of times during the year. This is the one season that embraces good will toward all.

My sincerest hope is that next time you stumble across the Right Thing in the coming weeks you can make a positive difference. Have a great day everybody.