Thank you, Woolly Bear!
As I was walking by Loyola University campus this morning, I noticed a woolly bear caterpillar on the sidewalk. I couldn’t just leave this delicate creature there because at the pace it was travelling, someone was bound to step on it. I couldn’t allow that to happen.
As for you, woolly bear, I thought I was rescuing you, but it turns out you rescued me. – paerki
Before I tell you the rest of my story, you need to know there were three Loyola students walking 20 ft behind me. We had been walking the same path for 5 to 6 city blocks at a steady gait.
It was instantaneous. I saw that caterpillar and immediately went into action, squatting and leaning over to put it in my hand so I could place it in a nearby tree. Just as I did this, the students started walking faster, almost running towards me, ultimately stopping to ask if I was okay. They thought something had happened to me. "No", I said. "I was just giving some assistance to a caterpillar."
One of the students said, "Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone were like you." I said, "Oh, no! No! NO! Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone were like the three of you, caring and considerate." I thanked them, smiled and all of us went our separate ways.
This interaction has been on my mind all day because at any given time when I leave my home to walk, I encounter strange, sad and often annoying situations (homeless people looking through trashcans for food or people throwing trash out of their cars, drivers not being courteous to walkers as they travel across busy intersections (Northern Parkway is scary for drivers and pedestrians), parents berating their children just before they enter a school building (How does that help a child learn?), a cashier who is less than kind to her customers (quality customer service is imperative), drivers exiting onto a one-way street but only looking for oncoming cars, not both ways for pedestrians, and then immediately copping an attitude and getting out of their car to rant (Dear Gilman School, please display adequate signage guiding drivers to look both ways before exiting onto Roland Avenue), and people making fun of those who choose to wear a mask (my heart goes out to the student who was crying – she said to her mother, "Please don’t make me wear this. People are making fun of me." The mother replied, "I love you! You’re wearing the mask.")
I am only human, and sometimes not a good one because on occasion I allow these negative situations to consume me enough to bitterness (allow this to happen too often and you begin to see the world as not a great place).
I am convinced it was fate I met those Loyola students. I needed someone, anyone to remind me the world is still a good place, that kindness still exists, and will always prevail.
In a pandemic world, it’s crucial we be kind to all we meet. While you’re at it, be kind to yourself, too.
We are living in precarious times. Know that it’s okay to sweat the small stuff, but do so in a timely manner. It is okay to stress a little too, but don’t turn molehills into mountains. Be realistic and know your limitations.
