Choose Someone

A week ago I took some of my students to an elderly care facility where most of the residents are wheelchair-bound. It’s a disheartening place to see; it’s a visible, physical manifestation of human frailty and it makes me anxious/resentful that such a life is what waits for me years from now.

But there was an unexpected learning for me last Wednesday.

When we arrived, many of the residents were about to do a group activity. We were told to make ourselves at home and find an open chair. I walked over to a 99-year-old woman named Dorothy. When I sat down, she smiled at me so I took her hand in mine. Then she said to me, “Out of the whole world, you chose me.”

The depth of this statement struck me. At first, I thought she was less than lucid, but after speaking with her for a few minutes I discovered that Dorothy was totally coherent; she meant what she had said to me. She really did believe that I chose to sit next to her, and she was touched by my decision.

So, today, choose someone. Whatever it means for you, be intentional and choose to be present with someone…and make sure they know that you picked them.