Every once in a while, I have to unravel my knitting. I'm sure that others have had that "experience" as well. This week, I experienced unraveling on a different level.
While my husband and I were out to dinner, we were approached by an elderly gentlemen. He was neatly dressed, clean shaven, caring a walking stick. He had a pleasant smile and a very pleasant manner. He sat down at our table and asked very simply. "I need a to get home." Needless to say, this threw both of us for a curve. First of all, we didn't know this gentlemen. And since we live in a large city with a reputation of being one of the top 10 most dangerous places in the U.S., we were leary of him.
As I watched him and listened to his conversations, it became apparent that he was lost on many levels other than physically. He spoke of leaving the house that morning to take a walk (it was now 930 pm) and how he had taken a wrong turn. He knew his address; however, we were not familiar with where it might be located. As he continued to ask for help, he became a little bit more agitated. Exactly like when I start to unravel a knitting project and my frustration begins to rise to the surface.
Our first response was to contact the management of the restaurant and ask that they contact someone to assist him (like the police). Unfortunately, they didn't get the subtle message of him being confused and disoriented; and just continued to ask him silly questions like did he know his address.
So, just like with unraveling a knitting project we began to untie the knots and untangle the mess. We asked several individuals in the restaurant if they knew where this street might be. A lovely young woman came up to say she knew where his address was and that she would take him home. The lovely gentlemen was very excited and rose to leave with her. A few minutes later, he came back in the restaurant to shake our hand and thank us. In that short moment of time, he again was lost...couldn't remember which young lady in the restaurant was going to give him a ride and started approaching individuals who had just come through the door asking where their car was so that they could take him home. Again for him life was unraveling.
On this day, I saw a life unravel a little bit, the threads of sanity become tangled, the knots of fear start to rise; but I also saw the strength of kindness and caring of a young mother who took the time to untangle this little life that was unraveling just like I'm sure she does in her daily life.
