Mutterings and behavior

Based on her mutterings and behavior, she may have been. But it’s not for me to say. Whatever was wrong, she was certainly in need, and I whispered reassurances as we made our way down the stairs, promising to find her some help. At the bottom of the steps, a young female police officer approached us. The two other Samaritans disappeared – no doubt they had their own schedules to keep – and the officer and I continued to walk-carry the woman through the station until another officer came to relieve me

And said he could take it from there. As I stepped away, I was momentarily at a loss. I realized I was shaking, from the effort and from disquiet. As I collected my wits and moved on, through the turnstiles and back to my normal routine, I pondered the incident. What the two other commuters and I did was nothing so very special, and it took just a few minutes of our time. But many of us rarely step out of our rigid routines to reach out to others.

The scores of people who passed this woman on the steps probably considered whether to stop, but had myriad excuses to keep on going: I’m late for work, I’m sure someone will come along, and it’s none of my business, anyway. Every day, we face choices that pit our own, valid, needs against the needs of others. We may want very much to volunteer our time, donate money and lend a helping hand, but we still have to hold onto our jobs and

Feed and clothe our own families. We can’t always do as much as we’d like, but the events of that morning have served to remind me that I can and should do much more. Readers, have you faced moments where you’ve had to make a choice between stopping and helping, or moving on? And what are some of the ways that you reach out to others, even if it’s hard?