Difference Maker
By Emily Chance
There was one time in my short-lived life where I actually made a difference in someone else’s. No matter how many times I held the door open for someone or picked up fallen groceries off the ground for a struggling mother, there is one time that specifically sticks out to me.
We were running out of body wash, so I made a trip to the dollar store, the only store in town, and got some body wash. When I was standing in line, I noticed a little old lady standing in front of me. She dumped a couple of pennies on the counter, and I noticed nothing else was in there. In her hand was a debit card. She was looking really flustered and embarrassed because her card kept denying her buying less than five dollars’ worth of groceries.
“Well, maybe if you take off the milk I could pay for it…” she said shakily.
Once again, her card was denied. Instead of consoling the old lady or helping out, the cashier just looked annoyed, so I decided there was nothing else that could possibly be done.
“Ring everything up again. I’ll get it,” I said.
The cashier just looked relived that she wouldn’t have to put stuff away. This little old lady was near tears, thanking me over and over again, as I simply swiped my card.
“I thank you,” she said. “My dinner thanks you!”
I just waved it off, saying it was fine, and she simply asked, “How could I repay you?”
“It’s just money,” I smiled. “Don’t you worry about it.”
In that moment, I’ve never seen someone look so touched.
It was sad to see that in my little town there was such poverty. Yet, there was nobody who wanted to help her out. I want to strive to set an example that even if someone thinks they’re broke, they really aren’t until they can’t even buy two, three, or five dollars’ worth of groceries to feed themselves, to keep themselves alive. And even then, I would like to think that human beings could take care of their own instead of getting annoyed or frustrated over something someone can’t help. Someone may say that she should get a job, but it was obvious by the way she grimaced when she shuffled to the door there was no way she could get a job to support herself. It is up to people like us to take care of those who can’t take care of themselves. It is up to us to be difference makers.
Edited by London Koffler
By Emily Chance
There was one time in my short-lived life where I actually made a difference in someone else’s. No matter how many times I held the door open for someone or picked up fallen groceries off the ground for a struggling mother, there is one time that specifically sticks out to me.
We were running out of body wash, so I made a trip to the dollar store, the only store in town, and got some body wash. When I was standing in line, I noticed a little old lady standing in front of me. She dumped a couple of pennies on the counter, and I noticed nothing else was in there. In her hand was a debit card. She was looking really flustered and embarrassed because her card kept denying her buying less than five dollars’ worth of groceries.
“Well, maybe if you take off the milk I could pay for it…” she said shakily.
Once again, her card was denied. Instead of consoling the old lady or helping out, the cashier just looked annoyed, so I decided there was nothing else that could possibly be done.
“Ring everything up again. I’ll get it,” I said.
The cashier just looked relived that she wouldn’t have to put stuff away. This little old lady was near tears, thanking me over and over again, as I simply swiped my card.
“I thank you,” she said. “My dinner thanks you!”
I just waved it off, saying it was fine, and she simply asked, “How could I repay you?”
“It’s just money,” I smiled. “Don’t you worry about it.”
In that moment, I’ve never seen someone look so touched.
It was sad to see that in my little town there was such poverty. Yet, there was nobody who wanted to help her out. I want to strive to set an example that even if someone thinks they’re broke, they really aren’t until they can’t even buy two, three, or five dollars’ worth of groceries to feed themselves, to keep themselves alive. And even then, I would like to think that human beings could take care of their own instead of getting annoyed or frustrated over something someone can’t help. Someone may say that she should get a job, but it was obvious by the way she grimaced when she shuffled to the door there was no way she could get a job to support herself. It is up to people like us to take care of those who can’t take care of themselves. It is up to us to be difference makers.
Edited by London Koffler
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