
In the second last week of June, I was walking home after picking up a few groceries from the town centre of the area we live in. When I was just a few hundred yards away from where we live, I noticed a woman – she must be in her late sixties or early seventies – picking up litter from the sides of the road. From underneath parked cars, to the undergrowth of shrubs and bushes, from the pavement…
She had a plastic bag, a litter picker (it is a simple hand held tool for picking up litter) and it looked like she wasn’t employed by the local administration to do so – as in, she wasn’t paid to do this.
I walked a few steps ahead and then, I walked back. To her.
Hello, I said to her, a little hesitant at first. Thank you for picking up the litter.
Hello, she replied.
We started conversing. She asked me about myself; when I told her that I am originally from India, she asked me about the well being of my family and friends.
I learned a bit about her. She was a general physician (a gp) and she had worked in the United Kingdom for most of her working life, and had returned to Ireland a couple of years ago to look after her ageing mother (who had since then died).
And I was right. She was picking up litter not because she was paid to do so or this was a sort of a part-time job for her. She did it because she wanted to.
She was also volunteering at a vaccination center and was training at a national art gallery to be a volunteer for the visitors.
I was so impressed. She was humble and modest; and it particularly struck me that she had no qualms about picking up litter – she did not let her education or work experience of being a doctor come in the way.
It made me think about the value of work, and how when one is retired, and in relatively good health – the number of ways one can offer one’s time, expertise and talent to the community around us.
Before saying goodbye, we exchanged phone numbers. In the last week of June, I received a text from her. Once things are a bit better, we will meet up for a coffee or a visit to the art gallery. I am so looking forward to this. There will be so much to learn from her; so much more to be inspired from.
Stunning encounter! cnat wait to hear her full story. I’m deeply humbled act her act and thoughts go to Gandhi and ben..when he asked her to clean toilets.!!
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