What I learned from Wanda

I would venture to say that it’s the catholic guilt instilled in me which is compelling me to share this story:

 

I took the train to New York last Friday. The train was packed and I was forced to share a seat. I sat down next to a woman and soon after she asked me for a piece of gum. I handed it to her and proceeded to pull out an article I needed to read for class. After three sentences she began talking to me. She had literally just gotten out of the hospital and was carrying bags of clothes back to her home in Plainfield. All I could think was damn, I picked the wrong seat. She would not shut up, going on and on about her life, her family, her illness.

 

Every time I thought we were finished and I resumed reading she started in again. Then I thought a little bit about the content of the article I was trying to read, about the history of therapeutic recreation, which began by and large in hospitals. I took this as a sign. I put my book away and started to ask her questions. She showed me the art projects she had completed during her hospital stay, offered me her magazine, gave me her phone number and told me to call her some time.

 

I shared my story this evening during class. The professor responded by telling me that I probably learned more from that encounter than from reading the article. I think he is right.

 

It’s pretty damn cool that my interaction with this woman got me some bonus points in class, but that is above and beyond what I took away from the experience.

 

This might sound a little strange, but when I am walking down the street and a homeless person asks me for spare change I try to see God in that person. I try to see someone who is a brother or a sister to someone because that person probably has a family. That person is a daughter or a son to someone. I try to see the good in all people and the value of human life. And to be honest with you, I felt a little bit ashamed that initially I was very annoyed by this woman speaking to me.

 

I don’t mean to get all religious or spiritual on ya’ll, but it is a part of who I am and I'm not ashamed to admit it.