Gists
After Seeing Elderly Man Hesitate At Top Of Escalator, Kind Young Man Offered Him His Arm
When an elderly man was a little scared of getting on an escalator, a kind young man offered him his arm and helped him safely ride the escalator to the next floor.
Paula Picard was shopping at the Holyoke Mall in Massachusetts when she noticed an older man hesitating at the top of an escalator. He seemed nervous about losing his balance while stepping on.
“A little redemption for the suffering human soul 😊 The older man was paused at the top of an escalator and a few people started gathering waiting to get on,” Paula shared in a post online. “It was clear he was feeling unsure.
As a small line began to form behind the hesitating older gentleman as they waited for him to get on the escalator, a kind young man understood what was going on. He walked up to the elderly man with an out-reached arm and asked if he could help.
This young man offered the simplest kindness: an out-reached arm and a “can I help you on, sir?”‘
The elderly man explained that he had trouble previously riding an escalator and was nervous to get on. He gratefully accepted the arm of the young man, 23-year-old Alonzo Johnson.
“He quietly started to explain to the young man that he had gotten stuck on an escalator once and was a little scared. The young man gently offered an assurance, they looked at each other eye to eye for just a moment, and the older man accepted his arm. Everyone else remained patient. So, so sweet to witness!”
Paula hopes that people will keep their eyes open and look for the small acts of kindness that happen each day all around us, that often go unnoticed.
“Please look for the silver linings – as I was so fortunate to witness this evening.”
Hundreds of thousands of hearts online have been moved by Alonzo’s kindness for the elderly man.
“God Bless this young man,” wrote Susan B.
“Wow I love it. It’s all around we just need to open our eyes and hearts and we’ll see all the good deeds from small to big. If we all did even just one good caring deed for another person, think how many good deeds would take place in one day! I make it a point to do this as I’m sure many people do,” shared Kathlene M.
“Great stories need to told as much as they can be. It will catch on. This is the way we start to make things better. One act of kindness at a time,” shared Anita R.