I was shopping at a department store and had just boarded the down escalator when I noticed a woman standing to the side. She looked about 65, and her expression told me she was scared. I turned toward her and asked, “Do you need help?” As the escalator continued moving I heard the woman reply softly, “I'm afraid.” There was a hint of incredulity in her voice. “Want me to come back and get you?” I called to her. She nodded.
But by the time I reached her, the woman had reconsidered. “I don’t think I can do it,” she said. I was suddenly aware that I had made a far greater investment than I expected. “I know we can do it,” I said. “I can hold on to you. She looked down at the beast. Then her eyes came back to mine, looking doubtful. ”This has never happened to me before,' she said, as much to herself as to me. I felt that her sudden fear had to do with the escalator's mechanical nature, its basic inhuman untrustworthiness
I took her arm. “Shall we?” She made a little sound of alarm as we stepped on, but we'd passed the point of no return. She relaxed slightly as the stairs moved us downward.” I don’t understand this at all,“ she said. As we neared the bottom, her grip tightened again, but we did fine. ”I'm so grateful. She began “It was nothing,” I said. "I was happy to do it.
Happy yes. I do very little to help others. I am busy caring for a family and working full time. For a brief moment, I had a flash of insight into why someone would become a nurse or a social worker or a minister. When I helped the woman, I felt pure and whole, purposeful. It was a happier moment than I'd had in weeks.