Reach the Beans

My weekly trip to the grocery store is usually uneventful. But today, something happened that I don't ever want to forget. As I slowly made my way down a busy aisle, I couldn't help but notice a little old man sitting in his motorized shopping cart, in the middle of the hustle and bustle of everyone around him. As I approached him, I noticed him staring at the very top shelf. I leaned over and... asked, "Can I reach something for you?" The look on his face at first, was surprise. I had interrupted his deep contemplation of the task ahead of him, it seemed. But, it immediately relaxed into a sweet smile of relief. "Yes, two cans of those beans," his shaky little finger pointed to the top shelf. After I placed them in his cart, he said to me, "Thank you. You're the only who cared if I got my beans or not." I swallowed the lump that instantly formed in my throat, and told him he was very welcome. As I turned back to my shopping cart, he said something else that made the encounter even more powerful. "Before you go, maybe get me two more because you might not be here next time I need my beans." I put two more cans in his cart, another "thank you" and "you're welcome", and we parted ways. But the moment still hasn't left me. I know that there are hundreds of thousands acts of kindness every day. But, for me, this was a reminder to never let the opportunity go by to change someone's day for the better. Will it change the world that a sweet man now has his beans? Yes, I believe it will. If for nothing else, he will believe that someone cared about him today, and isn't that enough to change his world? My hope is that the next time he is at the store, someone will offer to reach the beans for him. My hope is that when you need help, someone will "reach the beans" for you. Reach the Beans....pass it on.