Yesterday I had to let my neighbor’s dog outside while they
were gone for the day. The only problem, unbeknownst to them, was that due to
a fall, I injured my leg and was using a cane. Climbing the many stairs
to let the dog out was painful and precarious for me. At least, I thought, I
could take my garage door opener with me so at I would not have to climb my front porch stairs
when I returned to my home.
After navigating all the stairs at my neighbor's house and safely
arriving home, wouldn’t you know I had left my garage door opener upstairs at
my neighbor’s house. Sigh. That meant
a painful return trip up all those stairs.
Then I saw another
neighbor across the street about to get into her car. I yelled for her to come
over and asked her to go up the stairs for me to retrieve my garage opener. She
did not really listen to what I was saying. She was focused and frazzled because, as she explained to me, she was late for a hair dresser appointment. So I just waved her on. Now this is a very
nice woman and I know she would have helped me if she were not so caught up
in the fact she was late for her appointment. She did not even hear what I was
asking. This made me wonder about myself.
I am a very schedule-driven person with long to-do lists for each day.
How many times a day do I miss an opportunity to help
someone? At the end of the day what is
more important? My to-do list or stopping to listen and help others?
