Letter: Helping others has unexpected reward

To the community,

On Saturday, I saw an elderly man with a gas can struggling to inch his way forward, one step at a time. I stopped, offered him a ride and helped him get in. He told me he ran out of gas and needed to get to a gas station, which was about two miles away. That would have been an all day journey for this gentleman and he was grateful for the lift.

Steve Kubby

As we headed for a gas station, we talked and I learned several years ago he injured his back and was told he would never walk again. So just being able to walk was a huge win for him and now he was even looking forward to riding a bike again.

Once we got the gas, we had to spend some time looking for his truck because he had forgotten were he had parked it. We found his truck, said our goodbyes and as I drove away something unexpected happened.

I felt the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders.

Helping this gentleman had forced me to look at what difficult challenges others must face on a daily basis. It made me realize how fortunate I am and how much I have to be grateful for. It only took a few extra minutes of my life to help a fellow member of our community, but the reward was priceless.

Steve Kubby, South Lake Tahoe