The Daily Post Prompt for today is the word TOURIST. Friends might have thought the first thing that would come to mind for me was our trip to the British Isles next year since I’ve been looking forward to it all my life. And we certainly WILL be tourists then. But what actually came to mind was the moment when I stopped being a tourist in life, in faith, and made the choice to become part of the society of human beings.
My family was driving through town on our way home from church. Sunday afternoon is REAL slow in Utah. They don’t actually roll the sidewalks back out till Monday morning. About the only thing that was open downtown was the movie theater. And as we were driving past Brandon noticed a man lying on the sidewalk in front of the ticket booth out front of the theater. He hollered at Drollery to stop the car, so we pulled off into a parking place to see what was going on.
There lay the man, not moving. And people were walking past him to get to the ticket booth. I was floored and disgusted. In the few minutes we sat there watching not one person stopped to see if he was ok. Finally I got out of the car and went to kneel by the guy to make sure he was at least breathing. He was, but was really disoriented. He couldn’t tell me his name. Still no one stopped to lend a hand. Drollery told Bran to stay in the car and went to find a pay phone. He called 911 (though it wasn’t known as that at the time) and they dispatched an ambulance to assist the man.
Turned out they were familiar with him. His name, they said, was Johnny. He made his home down along the tracks behind St. Anne’s Kitchen. It wasn’t the first time they’d transported him to the hospital.
The next day I went up to McKay-Dee Hospital to see if I could find out what happened to him. They had kept him for observation because he was diabetic. He had been in diabetic shock when they picked him up. They told me the room number and I stopped in to say hello. He was still pretty incoherent, but it gave me a great deal of peace to know he was going to be ok. This time…
What I came away from that experience with was a terrible disappointment in humanity that could see a man lying on a sidewalk in broad daylight — in the middle of the hottest summer months, I might add — barely breathing, and walk right past him. I was appalled. That was the day I stopped being a TOURIST in my world. I made a conscious decision, instead, to become one with the people no matter who they were.
Since then I’ve been fortunate to be involved in a lot of community projects. But my favorite thing I’ve done is tutor migrant workers’ kids as they moved in and out of the area following the crops and seasons. Oh my Lord! The stories you hear from these kids can scare the tar out of ya. They are precious. And they helped to change my attitude toward immigrants in this country.
DON’T SPEND YOUR LIFE BEING A TOURIST IN THIS WORLD. The time may come when you need a helping hand from someone, too. God forbid the only folks around are the ones wearing Hawaiian shirts and shorts and carrying cameras.
GET INVOLVED!!! It’s what makes life worth living…
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Picture Credits:
Tourist — www.colourbox.com
Homeless Man — www.kissingtheleper.com
Camera Man — keywesttourcompany.com
Impromptu Promptlings 
” Do unto others as you would have others do unto you ” comes to mind on reading this 🙂
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Absolutely! And be the change you want to see in the world.
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People in trouble are just people who need a sign of kindness.
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Absolutely. And sometimes that’s as simple as looking them in the eyes and smiling. It makes them feel human.
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Really enjoyed this post – not what I expected from the title 🙂 I’ve also received a lot from reading the comments. Just yesterday I was passing a woman in a wheelchair. She stopped, so I made eye contact and she called me over. It was raining. She asked me to lift up her hood to cover her hair, as she couldn’t do it easily herself. After doing so and seeing her move away, I spontaneously found myself putting a hand on my heart. I was touched by that opportunity to help, even in such a tiny way, and wanted to share that i believe the gift goes both ways. She extended herself and her trust to me. It can be a gift to me, from another, to give me an opportunity to serve, just as much as I, in serving, offer a gift. And for now I’m sitting with your question about fear – because I agree that this it what interferes most with people’s instincts to help. How DO we help each other overcome that? With love, Harula xxx
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“…wanted to share that i believe the gift goes both ways.” Harula, truer words were never spoken. People don’t understand that. I LOVE what you did. Our church is very involved with a homeless shelter in the neighborhood and one of the things we’ve heard over and over again is that when they’re being served meals, the servers won’t look at them. Won’t look them in the eyes. It dehumanizes them and fills them with shame. Even THAT small thing, looking at them and smiling can mean a great deal to them. Don’t need any training or courage to do that. 🙂
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I really like this post 💜
We walk through life with blinders on but once they are removed, there are amazing things to see!
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And you can’t go BACK to being a tourist anymore. You can’t unsee the things you see, unhear the things you here… (Have missed seeing you around! ❤ )
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I have been off work dealing with “stuff” but decided i needed to get back here! Been losing hours lately sitting on a bench and watching geese and ducks actually. It’s been therapeutic!
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I hope whatever it was you’re able to deal with it. You know we’ll always be waiting here when you come back! {{{Shannon}}} 🙂
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This post jogged a long ago memory C….weird. Anyway…the summer after 4th grade, I went to live with my father….not knowing what to do with me, he sent me off to a daily day camp. Each morning I’d get picked up by bus, spend the day at camp and then take the bus home. I don’t have many memories of that summer,,except that it’s the first time I dove off a high dive….and I didn’t have many friends. The memory you jogged was this….near the end of that summer, I remember there was this bully of a kid, and he was picking on someone…….I remember walking over and saying something, only to have him turn around and punch me in the stomach…it was the first time I ever had the wind knocked out of me…I fell to the ground, and do you know the kid I was trying to help left me there……have no recollection of how long I laid there…a counselor did eventually show up…….that’s gratitude for you. 😁
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Now THERE’S a scenario I bet gets played out a lot on the playground. Maybe “Pay It Forward” ought to be required watching in elementary school! ❤
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It may help some….but kindness starts at home 😔
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Unfortunately that’s the bottom line, isn’t it… Sigh…
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Where I live there are a lot of homeless people that hang out around the grocery store. They are often times not in very good shape. Most of them need help of some kind or other. When I see a person that looks like they may need help I sometimes ask if their okay. Usually they want money. I rarely carry money so I can’t contribute. At one time I noticed a man that had been sitting outside the store in the same place for three days. On the third day I asked him if he was alright and told him I was concerned because it didn’t look like he had moved much . He acknowledged my question by standing up, he was well over six feet tall. He told me he was fine. I never saw him after that. I still wonder why he was there. He didn’t ask for money or help of any kind. I’m not much of a good Samaritan because the homeless frequently only want money for liquor and rarely ask for food. I would buy them food but I never give them money. Thanks for your post, it made me look more closely at myself.
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You know I was pretty “brave” because it was on a downtown street in full view of who knows how many people and Lord Drollery was there. In other circumstances I might not have done that. I think we need to learn to help, but we also have to be wise. It’s not 1950 anymore, unfortunately. We just have to do the best we can with what we have. And you’re right. Giving money is a bad idea. McDonald gift certificates work though! 😀
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I didn’t mean to like my own comment. Sorry
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😀 Oh, I do that all the time! LOL Then I wonder if people think I’m just really impressed with myself. rolls eyes… We’re great, aren’t we!!!
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Your story brought tears to my eyes. I suffer with Meniere’s, it is a condition that lasts for life. You can have attacks as and when or all the time or be lucky and not have any for years. I am now the latter, but there was a time when attacks would happen without any real prior warning.
One such attack happened to me, I was just about to go down the escalator at Oxford Circus Station when the lines on the wall made me start to spin. Somehow I managed to get off the escalator and stand up against a wall, I slid to the floor. When an attack would happen I can’t speak, I am spinning in my head, I feel physically sick, strangely I can hear (with one ear, my left side I am deaf), I can’t see too well. I needed help but people walked by, then this elderly couple stopped and I thought at last help – no I was wrong as the elderly woman bent down to me and told me how I should be disgusted with myself for being drunk. That to this day hurts me to remember. Finally two women came along and did indeed help me. There are good and bad people out there, there are those that hurt you and walk away, then there are those people you will always remember. I never walk away, if I can help I will.
Lovely Post Cheryl, (apart from the tears)
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That must have been horrible, Anna. I don’t understand people like that. I get really judgmental about that kind of behavior!
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It is hard to understand and you never forget it. There is always someone out there who just needs a welcoming hand, does not take much to smile and give your hand.
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Absolutely. Even those who are very different from us. Different color, different dress, different religion, etc. That’s where we start to fix the world. One hand held out at a time.
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A great anecdote that illustrates a human situation. People can be heartless or they can get involved.
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I think a lot of what seems like heartlessness actually has to do with fear. And more so now than in times past because the world had become so violent these days. How do we help people to overcome that?
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