The woman was walking so slow it was impossible not to notice. I myself was in a hurry so I walked quickly past her without looking at her directly. Even without seeing her face I felt my thoughts be stirred for her. She didn’t seem all that old and yet her walk was very feeble? I didn’t want to focus upon the frailty of a failing body, not today, but still it stirs me.
We are surrounded by so much human frailty that sometimes it’s just a natural response not to want to think about it, especially when we feel helpless to do anything about it. But is this thinking too wide in its scope? Are we only thinking we don’t want to be bothered because we are feeling like there are too many frail people who need our help? So many of them, only one of me?
I have to adjust my “big” thoughts to fit better into a “smaller” moment. That woman probably could have used my help to push her cart to her car and I missed it in my hurriedness.