Joy of Giving

Once a cab driver arrived in the middle of the night for a pick up at a building that was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away. But the cab driver had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. So he walked to the door and knocked.

"Just a minute," answered a frail, elderly voice.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before the driver. By her side was a small nylon suitcase.
"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. The driver took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman. She took his arm and walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking the driver for his kindness.

"It's nothing," the driver told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."

"Oh, you're such a good boy," she said. When she got in the cab, she gave an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

"It's not the shortest way," the driver answered quickly.

"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice." Her eyes were glistening.

"I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long."
For the next two hours, the driver drove through the city. She showed the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. She showed the house where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had the driver pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."

The driver drove in silence to the address she had given.

"How much do I owe?" she asked, reaching into her purse.

"Nothing," the driver said.

"You have to make a living," she answered.

"There are other passengers."

"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."

The driver was very happy that day. "What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if he had refused to take the run, or drive through the downtown?” He thought and retired to bed with joy of giving a little moment of joy for an elderly woman.

We don’t have to do big things to give joy to others. Sometimes we're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware—beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Courtesy: An article contributed by a co-worker in my department’s weekly newsletter