In a world where Millennials are ignoring #stayathome orders and licking toilet seats as an act of rebellion, Adam Lucas went to great lengths to redeem the less savory side of his generation.
Adam admits that the coronavirus is still an abstract idea and he doesn’t exactly know what it means for him. Yet, despite all the confusion, there was one thing that he was certain of, and that was the fact that some people are in desperate need of help!
“Do you have any toilet paper? Please, my wife is sick.”
Like many, Adam stopped paying attention to the news because it’s just too sad and overwhelming.
But, he hadn’t realized just how crazy the toilet paper situation had become, or that the elderly were afraid to venture outside the house.
“I wasn’t thinking much about the virus or the rush to the stores yet. I had honestly been avoiding the news as much as I could because it was getting a little overwhelming and stressful, so I didn’t realize the gravity of what was going on yet.”
“The poor man looked like he was on the brink of tears.”
When Adam overhead an elderly gentleman ask a cashier at CVS for some toilet paper, he could tell the distraught man was having one of those days and immediately felt sorry for the poor guy.
“He just looked exhausted, as any person would be. He asked if the cashier knew if they had toilet paper for him and his sick wife so he didn’t have to go all the way to the aisle to check.”
Toilet paper and other COVID-19 essentials like hand sanitizer are in short supply, but shopping for these things can turn into exhausting, never-ending quest for the older population who can’t get around as easily as their younger counterparts.
“I didn’t really think much about extending my offer, it seemed like the human thing to do. I could tell he wasn’t sure what to say or whether to accept.”
The senior was naturally apprehensive and weary of the young stranger who approached him. However, when Adam also offered to drop off some groceries, that seemed to pique the other man’s interest.
“His wife waiting with a oxygen tank in the car. It had taken him so long to get to the counter from the door and back to his car, I could just imagine the day he had been having. At this point, I could tell the caution to accept help from a stranger was turning more in gratefulness.”
“I told him it would be my pleasure to make sure they found what they were looking for.”
Before he left the CVS parking lot, Adam saved the man’s address on his phone, and asked if they needed anything else, which they didn’t.
“I said I would be happy to either give him a call or leave the items at his door. I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable or feel unsafe. I realized halfway into my offer, it might come across that way. He said to ring the doorbell and tried to give me a $20 bill, which I declined.”
Adam had no idea it was going to take him forever to find some toilet paper. In fact, it really annoyed him how much of a venture the whole ordeal was! He couldn’t imagine what it must be like for the elderly folks who don’t have help from kindhearted people like him.
Adam finally found some toilet paper after spending a couple of hours hopping from one store to the next. He bought two jumbo packs for the couple, but only one for himself. He wasn’t about to hoard anything given what he knew about the whole situation.
The couple was taking a nap by the time he arrived, so he left the goods by their front door with a note offering to be their errand boy.
“Yesterday, he called me again and said he didn’t think he and his wife should leave the house and asked if I wouldn’t mind picking some things up the next time I was at the store. He didn’t want me to make a special trip, but I told him it wasn’t a big deal at all, and I would be happy to. This time it was more about them not heading out into the world again. My heart broke for them.”
“Now, more than ever, we need to look out for one another, especially those who already have a hard time just providing the things they need to make it through the day.”
Adam hopes his story will remind everyone how much impact a kind gesture kind make.
“I know the man can rest a bit more soundly knowing someone is taking care of some things for him. I told him I would continue to be available if they needed anything. I found myself thinking about if they were my grandparents or someone who I loved who was worried about. I would hope someone would reach out a helping hand to them as well.”
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