Recently a colleague suggested that I write about when it's kind not to be kind. I've been waiting for an opportunity to present itself, and today it did. On the way home from an appointment my son and I stopped for ice cream. As we sat eating (he had blueberry and I had moose tracks) a woman with a cane, who had great difficulty walking, placed an order and then sat at the table next to us to wait, about 15 feet from the pick up window. I wondered if I should offer to retrieve her order for her. Would it seem offensive? Would she appreciate the help? How could I ask in a way that did not assume that she wanted or needed help? Could my effort to be kind actually be unkind?
Her number was called and she started to get up. I asked “Would you like me to get that for you?” and she replied “No, that's ok.”
That being the sum total of our exchange, I have no idea how my offer was interpreted.. She certainly didn't look offended. And I truly hope she wasn't.
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