By Steve

The other morning I was walking to Starbucks (yes I still drink the overpriced beverages but I'm nearly cured). The sun had not yet appeared. It was raining. My hood was up and my head was down. Crossing the street I stepped over a dime. It didn't even give me pause. I didn't even consider picking it up. I thought nothing of it (on the other hand I have not been able to stop thinking about it).

Normally I would pick up a coin...
Why didn't I pick it up? Was it not worth enough? Did I not want to stop in the rain? Was I just being kind, allowing someone else to have it? Was I just lazy?

This morning I went to 7-11 to buy some water (I bought smart water cause I have lots of writing to do today). The sun is already up. It is raining. With a pocket full of change, my smart water and I charged out of the store. I didn't want to get too wet and I needed to get to work.

While waiting for the light to turn green, I saw something. Someone. Someone who didn't care to get wet. Someone who would have stopped for that dime. Someone who would have loved my change but didn't ask for it. Someone who would have wanted my water, and wouldn't have cared that it was smart (and probably would have thought it dumb to spend over $1 on it).

This someone, a man, laid down on the sidewalk, in the rain, and slurped the water off the pavement. Some smiled, others laughed. I stood there.

What would you have done. Would you offer a drink? Or would you be lazy, step over what might not seem valuable? Would you offer help or avoid any inconvenience? Would you do something or allow someone else to make a difference?