I wish I had ...

I had one of those moments yesterday that was a wake up call and got me thinking ... about how lucky I am and about how others are not as fortunate. It happens to me every now and then, as if somebody out there is reminding me that there is more to life and I need to do more ...

I was walking pass a makan place (eatery) somewhere in the Simei, and I saw one of the staff from the stalls clearing the tables and throwing the leftover food from his customers into two huge bins. Then I saw an elder man walking towards him and stretched out his hand to take a plate that the staff was about to clear. He walked to one of the nearby tables and started finishing the food that was left on the plate. It looked like he was finishing up a couple of french fries and within minutes, he was done and returned to where the bins were and cleared the plate and placing it together with the other plates.

I was stunned and wasn't sure if I saw what I saw. I read about something similar in the papers some years back but to see it with my own eyes, it broke my heart. I wanted to buy him a plate of fried rice or something cuz how much would that have cost but I didn't have my wallet with me (left it in the car). It would have been too late if I went cuz by the time I realised what was happening, he was already walking away, probably looking for more food.

It's one of those moments where I wished I had done things differently. I wish I had been quick enough to realise what was happening and offered to buy him dinner (somehow convince the food stall people that I had to go to the car to get my wallet and come back instead of disappearing), do something ... anything.

That moment keeps playing over and over again in my head. It reminded me of how lucky I am, never to have to worry about when my next meal will be or where my next meal will be from. I am glad this year that M suggested for our usual Xmas exchange for MBA, we will use the money for the gifts for a charity organisation of our choice instead. But is there more that I can do, am sure there is. Just have to figure it out ....