Windex and empathy

You know, little organic moments in life have a very real way of resonating with me. A passing moment in life that most people toss away without a second-thought permeate through me deeply. As a matter of fact, a mere thirty minutes ago, two boys approached me in the parking lot of my local Walmart that got me thinking...

Today's landscape of the general public is (in a very generalized sentiment) in a rush and can't be bothered. Most people march across the painted lines of a parking lot with a laundry list of things that need to be done, bought, fixed, or otherwise changed either immediately, next month, or maybe even farther out. 

This is because we are hard-wired to focus on our own mind's missions, large and small, and don't tend to deviate from those paths in the heat of the moment (if we can help it). This is because we have to get back to work, get the kids off the bus, or have dinner to make for a family of five. Other people's problems are just that, theirs. 

About an hour ago, I pulled into Walmart on the hunt for a new set of bed sheets. A visit to Bed, Bath & Beyond was a wash, as I wasn't fully committed to shilling out over a hundred dollars on a whole bed set I didn't like that much to begin with. So, long-story-short, it was out with the full bedding idea and in with just the buying new sheets idea. Enter Walmart, because of course, we're talking even cheaper prices than what the old BB&B had to offer me. 

So, I go in and mill around for a half hour, and let me just tell you, the selection of king-sized bed-in-a-bag options in Walmart are dismal at best! Manufacturers probably figure that the person willing to shell out the money for a nice, king-sized bed is also willing to shell out some solid cash for a decent bed set, hence why one would not find such a thing inside Walmart. No doubt it's the world's way of telling me to stop being a cheap bastard. 

Regardless, I headed to the next aisle over to browse the sheet options. Nothing great, but I picked a set out for a little over thirty bucks. On my way out, I picked up a bottle of shampoo, too. Nothing fancy. Two items and forty bucks later, I was exiting the home and pharmacy entrance of Walmart, and two boys approached me after crossing the crosswalk. 

- Mind you, the humidity in Orlando today is especially brutal, as a superstorm brews off the east coast and rain has flickered on and off all day. -

Both boys were holding something, but I focused on faces as they approached. I couldn't make out exactly what the older boy said to me until after he said it and held up a bottle of Windex in my direction. The younger stood by his side holding a half-roll of paper towels. 

"Mister, can we wash your windows for two dollars?" 

Without thinking, I gave them the canned answer.

"I don't carry cash on me, sorry brother." 

"Okay, sir."

And that was that. I kept walking. I was onto tackling my mind's next mission: getting home. But, that wasn't the end of the exchange. 

"God bless you."

Now, I am in no way religious, but he didn't have to say that. He said it out of kindness. And when he did, he did so with sincerity. This made me pause and say "same to you". Not that I literally expected the almighty, holy ghost to throw down blessing dust on this kid, but if that's the creed he follows, I wanted to return the favor out of politeness. The words meant nothing to me, but I knew they would to him.

In a flash and without thinking, I turned back to the boys (who were beginning their next mission of looking for someone else to ask) and said "you guys want change?"

They affirmed and both boys came gingerly jogging up.

I walked up to my car and they waited at my rear bumper as I keyed the lock of my driver side door open. I set my items down and reached under my seat for the healthy bag of change I've kept in my car for years. I had slowly added to the stash with the random change I'd find in my pocket after the off-usages of cash here and there. Because, you never know...

"Ya'll don't need to wash my windows, but you can have this. There's probably about ten bucks in there."

"Thank you."

The older boy grabbed the bag and the two headed for the fast food restaurants towards the back of the Walmart parking lot. 

"No problem."

And it really was no problem. I wasn't going to make them wash my windows. I wasn't going to count out the two dollars they had asked for in quarters. I wasn't going to cash that change in any time soon. 

And then I realized, it isn't about them needing the money or me giving them a Ziplock of change. The moment was larger than that to me. 

The slow loss of empathy has stretched across the globe. One of the only wills that separates us from animals in the wild is the ability to recognize struggles beyond our own. The world is larger than us, and although we are all on mind missions or several throughout the day, it only takes seconds to recognize somebody else's. It's not the money or motive, it's the message.

Is ten bucks in loose change a grand gesture? No, not remotely. 

But, doing what I could without thinking about it was. The minute I was shown genuine kindness, which was unwarranted because I had told the kids I had nothing to give (out of nothing else but honesty), my mind's mission shifted. I was subconsciously determined to provide these two boys with something. 

Moments like this one expand and cover my mind like a rising dough. I'm entranced and greatly inspired. I get a very real sense of pride and an eternal boost from doing and even witnessing these moments. The grandiose in the miniscule is never lost on me. I am supremely tuned in with them and enjoy them (directly or from a distance). 

Similarly, I recently witnessed a disabled child meet their internet hero in person at a homeschool expo I attended for work in Jacksonville. The internet hero, a female who played a nursery-like persona, was so moved and was really able to connect with this boy. As the world continued around me, I was acutely tuned into exactly what that moment meant to that child and lady as the world continued around them.

Moments that humanity is built upon start on an individual level. Small in the grand scheme of life, but supremely important. 

Brick by brick, shifting our own mind's daily missions aside to help others with theirs pushes us forward as a species. 

Empathy says, just because your problems aren't mine, doesn't mean I can't relate. 

And that's worth its weight in loose change. 

- Austin