Today I was driving home from Alki and I saw a man at the side of the road who had fallen out of his motorized wheelchair. I pulled over, and ran back down the sidewalk to help him; another woman saw it as well, and she was there when I reached him.
The man had hit the curb as he tried to get off the road he was crossing and back onto the sidewalk, and it had thrown him from his chair.
He was an amputee on one leg, and his shoe had been tossed in the fall, revealing a diseased foot on the other leg; I immediately suspected diabetes. His pants tore to skin his knee, and his hands were bleeding, too; his skin was pretty fragile looking everywhere I could see it, and not just because of the fall.
He was more embarrassed and annoyed than anything, and by the time I'd parked the car and reached him, he'd lifted himself back into his chair; I suspect he's had this experience before, and he knew how to handle it. I got the impression that he was grateful for my help (which, actually, he didn't need) but was also embarrassed by his public fall and wished I'd disappear....so I did, once I was sure he would be okay.
Except... though he was set to rights and off and going in his chair, I don't know that he IS okay. I suspect some pretty serious health issues and a lack of money to go with them.
So, I have a little perspective today as I clean my house, bake cookies for a friend, and go about my day. Gratitude in my heart for my life, and prayers for this stranger.
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