HELLO IN THERE
We do meals on wheels. That means delivering hot meals to elderly or shut in folks throughout the city.
I drive while Beth navigates, and she delivers the meals to the home or apartment.
On many occasions she spends more time in the house than usual, and I have come to understand that means the recipient of the meal wants to talk.
In one house recently she spent perhaps 5 minutes. This was a large and very attractive home in a lovely older community.
When she came out she told me that the elderly owner had built the house himself. His son committed suicide. His wife died of cancer 3 years ago. His only other child, a daughter lives in Vancouver. Her husband is deceased. She now has cancer. She is attempting to sell her house and return to Oshawa to live with her father in the home he built. He hopes she can sell and move back soon.
I drive while Beth navigates, and she delivers the meals to the home or apartment.
On many occasions she spends more time in the house than usual, and I have come to understand that means the recipient of the meal wants to talk.
In one house recently she spent perhaps 5 minutes. This was a large and very attractive home in a lovely older community.
When she came out she told me that the elderly owner had built the house himself. His son committed suicide. His wife died of cancer 3 years ago. His only other child, a daughter lives in Vancouver. Her husband is deceased. She now has cancer. She is attempting to sell her house and return to Oshawa to live with her father in the home he built. He hopes she can sell and move back soon.
Perhaps this is not such an uncommon story but it is a story that was told to a complete stranger within five minutes of meeting. It happens frequently.
Henry David Thoreau said “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”! This may be even more true of the elderly, particularly those living alone.
Imagine the extreme loneliness that makes a short visit from a volunteer meal deliverer a bright spot in someone’s day.
Imagine the intense desire for human interface that compels someone to share their deepest feelings, sorrows, and hopes to a stranger.
Imagine a life that seems pointless and futile.
How very sad!
John Prine is a songwriter and singer. For the song “Hello In There” he wrote these words
We know that old trees just grow stronger
Old rivers grow wilder every day
Old people just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say
Hello in there
Hello.
----
If you’re walking down the street sometime
And spot some ancient hollow eyes
Please don’t just pass em by and stare
As if you didn’t care
Say hello in there
Say hello.
The opportunity to brighten someone’s life occurs regularly, and it gives rewards both ways.
You and I can be an angel to someone if we want to.
Say Hello in there!
mailto:deerthistle@sympatico.ca
You and I can be an angel to someone if we want to.
Say Hello in there!
mailto:deerthistle@sympatico.ca
1 comment:
When I worked at an inbound call center we were supposed to keep our call short. Understandably so. Yet sometimes there would be someone who just needed to talk a bit. I never stopped them. You never know just how much someone needs a listening ear, even just for 5 minutes. How hard is it, really, for us to let down our selfish guard and let someone in for a moment in time? Within our society we have become so self centered that we tend to forgot that others are in need. We need to remember that we are in that place sometimes, too, and it can take just a few minutes of letting it all out to feel better.
Thank you for posting about this! I strive to be this way, especially working in retail!
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