Asking for Help

Asking for help is DIFFICULT.  Most of us struggle with admitting we need help, then being vulnerable enough to ask for it.  When was the last time you actually asked for help?  Not when someone voluntarily gave you help – “Here, your hands are full, let me get the door for you,” – but when you humbled yourself enough to ask for help.

I admire people who are strong enough to ask for help.  And if they put a specific ask into the universe, I am honored to have Kindness Activist funds to help meet their asks.  There have been three of those this week, so I will share them here. 

1.      A member of a Facebook group I belong to recently posted this:  “Does anybody have baby formula that can give it to me, because my babe doesn’t have any more formula.  “I really need some.  It doesn’t matter what formula it is, I just need some please.  Thank you!”

Isn’t that brave?  The past months have been filled with parents needing formula because of the shortages on the shelves.  But this mother needed formula period.  Any kind.  Just something to feed her baby.

Because of the generous people who shopped at the 2021 Kindness Yard Sale and those that gave donations, Kindness Activist had money to get this baby 3 cans of formula.  I like to imagine that baby gobbled some up and had a nice, tummy-filled rest.

 Kindness Activist money spent:  $81.96 

2.     We saw a family sitting on the ground behind their van in a very busy gas station parking lot.  It was a woman, man, 2 children, and one small infant.  The man held a sign saying that they needed gas. 

Now, I know that many people do not believe that people holding signs asking for things are being truthful.  And maybe sometimes they are not.  But I think it takes courage for this man and woman to sit out in the blazing son and ask for help.  Plus, they asked for gas, not money.  

I walked up to them and said I could get them some gas.  They all leapt into the van and the dad drove up to a gas pump.  “I can get you $50 worth of gas,” I said.  His face showed me that he was not certain what I said, so I clarified, “5 – 0”.  His eyes lit up.  $50 of gas would get him quite a ways!  As he pumped the gas (and very carefully watched the pump so that he would no go over and take advantage of the kindness being offered), I asked a bit about his story.  I could not understand the name of the country they had arrived from, but they came through Mexico to enter the US.  The children were 4, 2, and 2 months, and all were beautiful.  One little boy kept poking his head out of the driver’s window to see what was going on.  He said something, and the father translated for me, “He say he is very grateful and thank you”. 

The man showed me that he had a monitoring bracelet on his ankle.  “Immigration,” he explained.  “Difficult.”  Oh yes, so very difficult.  He said in the best English that he could that he moved his family here so they could all have a better life.  That working was hard, but when he got a green card it would all be worth it. 

         Welcome to America, sir.  I am sorry that I could not do more for you, but may               your family settle down in this country and thrive. 

Kindness Activist money spent:  $49.98 

3.     And finally for this accounting, a woman who I had left a note in the Little Yellow Free Pantry outside our home a few months ago asking for diapers one time texted today.  She said she and her son were at our door, but we didn’t seem to be home.  She needed diapers and wondered if we had any. 

Well, because of her courage in being willing to ask for help, and because of funds raised by Kindness Activist, I was able to order not only diapers to be sent directly to her, but also wipes, snacks, and toys for her children.  I wish I could be a fly on the wall and see her smile when the packages arrive on Monday. 

Kindness Activist money spent:  $88.53 

People like these, people willing to put themselves out there and ask for assistance, inspire me.  I wish more of us were willing to ask for what we need.  It’s not always a physical “thing” we need.  Maybe we wish our children would call us more often.  Maybe we would like a co-worker to go on a lunch time walk with us.  Maybe we need a bit of help setting up a new computer…  But we are too embarrassed to ASK for what we want/need.  I am going to try and take a lesson from the people I assisted recently and ASK FOR HELP.  What can it hurt, right?  I hope you, too, will be inspired and brave enough to ask for help when you need it.

Note:  photos in this piece are not my own, but stock photos.  They do not represent the actual people assisted.