The importance of helping others in need

Do you want to know what is the greatest feeling ever? Forget having thousands of dollars or the newest car on the market. The greatest feeling ever comes from helping others in need. There is just that satisfaction that you get when you know that you are doing something that is truly going to make an impact. While cars, money, or the luxurious things in life might be enjoyable, I guarantee that helping others in need is going to satisfy you more. At least it has for me.

Friday seemed like an ordinary Friday for me. I woke up, went to work, worked out after work, and went to my favorite gas station. Everyday after I workout, I go and treat myself with a soda (ps. It is diet soda). I have been doing this for roughly two years or so. Over these two years, I have actually created friendships with a lot of the employees. But there is one employee in particular that has always been one of my favorites.

His name is Ishmael. Ishmael is honestly one of the nicest people that I have ever met in my entire life. Whether I am having the best day of my life, or the worst day ever, Ishmael is always there to help put a smile on my face. Seriously, I walk in and the first thing that I hear is “Ay, what’s up Michael. How was your day today, brother?” It is the exact same greeting day after day. If I respond and tell Ishmael that it was a good day, he is always right there telling me that I deserve it. If I respond and tell him that I had a bad day, he tells me to keep my head up high because good things always come to good people.

The most surprising part of this story is not the fact that Ishmael remembered my name after just a week of knowing each other. Instead, it is the fact that I have never once heard him complain. When I ask about his day in return, he responds with “Oh, you know me. Just working hard and loving life.” You hear this with a lot of people, but his words are sincere. The man truly does love life.

On Friday, I walked in to grab my daily diet soda and started conversing with Ishmael. I am not a psychologist, but I could tell that something was wrong. There was just something in the tone of his voice. After asking about five times what’s up, he finally told me. He said that he has to start looking for another job because his paycheck were too low. The man works, and he works a lot, so $400 seemed a little off. But after talking, he just said that he is in a struggle right now with cash. Immediately, I knew that I wanted to help.

I told Ishmael to keep his head up and remember what he preaches, “Good things happen to good people.” After casually leaving the store, I immediately headed to the bank. I pulled out some money, and went across the street to the grocery store to get a card. Searching the card aisle at the grocery store is honestly a lot more difficult than I thought. But after 15 minutes, I finally found one about being a friend, and having a positive impact on life. This was it. I purchased the card, stuffed some cash inside, and headed right back to the gas station.

At this point, Ishmael was stocking the fridge with diet sodas (most likely because I ran them dry). I had my phone on video to record the moment and told Ishmael to turn around. He jumped out of surprise and immediately had a smile on his face. I told him what a positive impact he has had on my life, and thanked him for going out of his way to always cheer me up. I finished it by asking him if he remembered how he said that good things happen to good people? Well, he is one of those good people, and I handed him the card.

Ishmael opened the envelope, pulled out the card and read it out loud. The more that he read the card, the more that tears began to fill his eyes. He finished reading the card, looked up, and said thank you because he needed to hear that today. I told him that it was the least that I could do and said to open the card. He opened the card, looked up, and tears ran down his face. After a few seconds of trying to collect his emotions, he came over and gave me the biggest hug I have ever received.

After the bear hug, I thanked Ishmael for always listening to my problems and helping me grow as a person. I also told him that what he said was true, good things really do happen to good people. He didn’t know what to say, and that was just fine with me. I told him that I would see him again tomorrow and headed out of the store with tears in my own eyes.

I sat in my car crying for a little bit before driving off. Not because I was sad, but because I was filled with more joy than I had ever experienced in my life. This experience made me think about the true meaning of life. It helped me realize that life is not about being the best, having the most money, or having the most expensive things. Life is about staying true to your beliefs, and giving back as much as you can, and helping others in need.  

The point of this post is not for attention or any type of praise. Rather, it is to challenge you as a person. We are all beyond blessed in our own and many ways. Challenge yourself and take some time out of your day, go out of your way, and give back to others who are in need. Embrace the emotions that you feel from giving back, and hold on to them. Remember that the greatest feeling ever really does come from helping others in need. Now go out there and make an impact on someone else’s life!

Michael Bonnell

6/24/2018

 

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