I have always been noticing an old man living alone in the corner of my street. He had no family and no one to take care of him. He always seemed depressed which made me think that one day I’ll go and spend time with him. But I never got such a chance due to my busy routine. One day I was on my way back home from college, I saw that old man with a rough bag which he was unable to pick up. I ran towards him and offered a helping hand. He smiled and gave me that bag. We walked home and started talking about life. First, he asked me about where I was born, my family, my school, and goals. While I was telling him all that, I noticed an affectionate smile on his face which encouraged me to tell him more about myself.
When we reached his old house like himself, I went inside without any hesitation to show him that he doesn’t need to be embarrassed about anything. I helped him cook his lunch and prepared his dinner as well so that he doesn’t have to worry about it later. The bag which I helped him carry had food given by the neighbors and other people. We had lunch together and during that he told me stories of his life which were quite interesting to hear and had many life lessons to learn as well. From his stories, I could imagine what kind of a person he was during his youth. He also showed me his pictures after lunch. Undoubtedly a handsome man he was. He talked unstoppably and I also didn’t want him to stop. The reason was, we study and also experience ourselves that when there’s so much to share with others but we don’t have any family member or a friend to whom we can share our feelings, we get distressed and depressed. So this is why I wanted him to talk and share his feelings as much as he can. He was encouraged by the responses I gave him; we cried and laughed together.
Listening to his stories, I found out that the old man’s children left him in this condition which was so distressing to hear. This made me love him and my own parents even more than before. When parents grow old, they expect a lot from their children. The worldly things do not matter to them, they just want attention and affection. And at that time sitting in his house, I decided to give him company more often. I went home, took my comfy mattress, some stuff to eat and gave it to him. Unsurprisingly, he resisted but I told him to consider me as his kid and accept these. I knew these things didn’t matter for him much but I wanted to provide him ease, comfort, and love that were missing in his life.
After that day, I daily went up to see him, provided him food, clothes, and the medications he needed. I felt great and lucky that I got a friend in him and that I was able to help someone a little. And this act of mine provided him relief and he looked better than before. He talked, made jokes, gave me pieces of advice. No doubt, your one act of kindness changes yours and other’s lives as well. My family encouraged and cooperated with me in this act of kindness. Spending time with him made me think about many old people like him that they must be in the same condition or worse than him whose families left them.
