Grateful to Help Others: Kelly’s Night Walk in New York
I’m grateful to be able to help others.
It was a cold walk home, late in the night in New York City. Lamenting at a sour interaction I had earlier with my friend, I tried unsuccessfully for the third time to get my headphones to work. Head down, spirits low, I lengthened my stride and focused on just getting home. Two blocks from concluding my journey, I was confronted by a small family – a mom, two daughters, and a son – making a desperate attempt to communicate with me.. None of the kids could have been older than 13. With the help of a speak to text language translator, they were able to ask me for directions to the Roosevelt Hotel. I briefly wondered who they were trying to meet before discarding my curiosity about their travels. I told them, two blocks that way, six blocks another way. They thanked me and I was on my way.
I crossed the street, and before I had taken my tenth step, I turned around without even realizing it. They pulled out the translator once more and accepted my offer to walk them to the Roosevelt. I saw the youngest daughter shivering as she tried to absorb some of her mother’s body heat. Without thinking I handed her my gloves. About halfway through our walk the mom points to her family and speaks a single word, “Venezuela”. My curiosity was piqued as I wondered what this family was doing trying to get to the Roosevelt; who were they trying to meet? Perhaps it was the father, I rationalized. We approached the corner of the hotel minutes later and the translator was employed once more.
“Is this a refuge?” were the words I read.
Suddenly the cloud of naivety evaporated from my mind. I could neither confirm nor deny the status of the building, all I could offer was that we were at the location they showed me initially. The last words I saw on the translator were “Thank you for helping my family. God bless you.” I wished them good luck and headed home after receiving my gloves back. For a third time, my body acted without direction from my brain as I turned around and gave my gloves back to the little girl. Thinking back on it now, the thanks I received from her might be the most earnest expression of gratitude I’ll ever witness. As I started my walk home for the last time, each step I took was lighter than the last. I no longer felt the need to distract myself with music, and any concerns I had earlier that night disappeared in a flash.
The only thing I could think about was how simple it all was. I had a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and love to share. I’ll always be thankful that I can help those around me.
- Kelly Schulte, YCS President
