Modern life is so fast-paced that we often can’t see beyond our own bubbles.
It can be hard to make a living, support our families and stay fulfilled while thinking about the needs of others. As we’re encouraged more and more to focus on our own needs, we start to lose a certain sense of community that makes us feel safe and at home. For these reasons and others, it’s always a pleasant reminder whenever someone goes out of their way to help someone else.
That was the case at one Publix grocery store in Tifton, Georgia.
The story comes from Jennifer Christopher Coker, who watched a Publix employee as he performed a selfless act.
Coker and another woman were simply shopping for groceries when she noticed something that moved her. It began with an elderly man in a motorized wheelchair asking a nearby Publix employee, Roger, for help. Coker detailed the experience, as told to her by the other woman, in a lengthy Facebook post:
She said she was coming in when the elderly gentleman stopped the young man, that was hard at work and asked, “Are you busy?” And Roger smiled politely and replied, “No sir, how can I help you?”
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Roger, without hesitating, told him he would be happy to help. There was no agitation in his tone for being interrupted. There was no rush to his walk to make the man feel like he was a burden. He made that man feel important. He was listening to the man talk and made sure to be attentive and answered with respect and manners.
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This young man’s act of kindness meant so much to me and I am sure it meant so much to the gentleman he helped.
Coker’s Facebook post has been liked more than 81,000 times and has spread to numerous other media outlets.
Publix even saw Coker’s post and commented in return that Roger’s kindness would be rewarded.
Above all, this story is a reminder of how far simple kindness can go.
Roger’s kindness to the elderly man that day affected not only the two of them but everyone who witnessed it. Coker’s version of the events, in turn, has affected thousands of people around the world. Although the fast pace of life can distract us from what’s most important, stories like these remind us of the common humanity we all share.
Thanks to everyone who shared in this special moment!
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