I Scared An Old Man Today! But He Smiled At Me Anyway

Lunchtime can never arrive fast enough when you're hungry! And after an early start to my day, I was certainly quite starving on my journey home. I ducked into a small Vietnamese restaurant just outside Sheung Wan MTR station, that had been recommended to me many times, and picked up some simple and delicious looking take-away, Lemongrass Beef with Vermicelli Noodles and Vegetables (sadly I was too hungry to take a picture of my tasty lunch... that's how good it was! But to give you an idea, here is a photo from a great little article I found with an even tastier looking recipe, that looks almost identical to what I ate).

Lemongrass Beef Noodle Salad – Photography from http://kokocooks.com/

Take-away noodles in hand, I got home and literally dashed in and out, wanting to squeeze in a quick run up Ladder Street and down Bonham Road, before I tucked into my delicious food, and got comfortable for a night in at my apartment. So I quickly changed into my running shorts and a t-shirt, and hit the streets. I always love those runs, as this is one of my favourite running routes in my neighbourhood. After a satisfactory and exhausting sprint, I started my return with an initial sit-down at the top of Ladder Street to catch my breath for a few minutes before I tore up the descent of the stone steps. An elderly man who had a pretty bad hunch in his back was slowly dragging himself up the stairs with one hand holding onto the railing, and his other hand holding onto a heavy looking bag. I watched him tackle one small stretch of steps at a time before he would sit down at the next available bench to rest, like I was. During each battle against the flights of steps he would take small breaks to observe reactions of other people walking by him, which I took for his plea for help. I figured that the worst that could happen was that the old man would tell me to "do one!", but as the fella had been glimpsing my way during his upward struggle I knew I had to ask. So I sprang to my feet, took a few steps down to the top of the next flight of steps, pretended to stop for some stretches, and when the man completed the steps he had just struggled up, I approached him and asked (with all sorts of hand gestures too) if he would like me to help carry his bag. He immediately pulled it towards himself whilst shaking his head and said "Mm Goi" (Cantonese for Thank You) many times with a big smile on his face as he continued up the next set of steps alone. 

And there it was, I asked, and he didn't need the help. He may have liked the exercise. He may have been completely caught off-guard by someone asking to help. But all the same, there was no harm caused and nothing lost or gained on either part. Just a mutual pleasant few seconds with an understanding at the end of it. It made me think about why people will often almost cower or hold back from offering a complete stranger help when there is a chance they could benefit from it. I have seen this happen over and over again in the UK, especially in London, and quite often here in Hong Kong too. When I have asked people about how they feel about asking someone if they needed help, they have commonly answered that they would feel embarrassed if the person in question rejected their helping hand. Really?! Another common reason that I've heard a few times is not being sure if the situation is one of significance, like for example, giving up your seat to an elderly person when in fact they may not be that elderly after all, and the resulting "shame" of them taking offence to your gesture. This last point I can relate to as I have been in many scenarios where I wasn't sure, but this has rarely stopped me from offering anyway. It's a no loss situation, and I can deal with a little rejection. And going back to the old man on Ladder Street. He even turned around half way up the steps to say thank you to me again. ᐂ