One thing leads to another …
Last winter the Sunnyside Environmental School Girl’s Scout troop (sorry I don’t know their badge number) led a sock drive to help our folks through the winter. The girls, mostly first graders, were pleased to send over a few boxes of nice warm socks that we happily distributed.
But then this year came…we are outside now. We are not where we once were and this upset a couple of the girls in the troupe. One asked the leaders how they could, “Help my friends that used to be by the fence at recess.”…those are our peeps. A month ago one of the leaders asked if we would still like a sock drive, even though we are outside. YES! Then the offered to do a bake-sale. Cool!
Last Tuesday the dozen or so 2nd graders held down a very popular table full of treats at the end of the school day. My daughter and I bought one for a dollar. It was delicious and my kiddo loved thinking about how her dollar would come back to me and I could use it to help one of my friends on the street. Cool!
Then, I was invited to this week’s meeting wherein we were gifted the proceeds. I might have thought about $50 coming our way…instead, i was given an envelope with 242 dollars and 30 cents…absolutely incredible. It was easy to feel the power these girls felt in handing over this contribution. I told them we treat every dollar like it's 5 so it’s really like giving us $1000. Their eyes grew wide as did all of our smiles.
We chatted and one asked how they could best help somebody living on the street…I rambled through an answer that started and ended with, ‘you can always ask somebody’s name. You can always wave hello. You can always be a friend.”
This morning, I was dropping off my child and the leader of the Girl Scouts stopped me. “I have to thank you because I learned something from you the other day.”
“Great. What was it? I wanted to thank you too!”
“Well there’s a guy who sells Street Roots by Walgreens. I see him most days and often wave or smile in his direction. But…I never thought to ask his name. So I did. Yesterday I introduced myself and when I asked his name, his whole body lit up. It’s like he stood straighter and his face was alive. ‘Jeff. My name is Jeff',’ he said to me. Now I know Jeff, my neighbor. And he could be my friend.”
I nodded a large nod. Goosebumps rose on my neck and arms. What she is saying to me is exactly my own experience. The first time I learned Leroy’s name was trans-formative for me and now here was somebody having a similar profound moment and telling me that I helped inspire it. “You could just see what it meant to have somebody want to know his name.”
Yes.
It strikes me often how one interaction usually leads to another one…you hand a person a cup of soup on one day and then find out they need a ride somewhere the next day. Here again is that happening but it’s as if the impact is rippling with an increased amplitude when I hear stories like this. You never know what can happen when you ask somebody their name, when you show your humanity, when you let your conscience lead…