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Some today speak as if compassion is a dying quality, but recently we were reminded that compassion is very much alive and well, especially among the Ducks.

Our Thanks for the Compassion go out to the Tour Guides of the Philly Ducks Tour.

During the recent Fourth of July weekend, my wife and I decided to travel to Philadelphia for a two day getaway. We figured that the trip would be both fun and educational. During our stay, we had the opportunity to tour the city on a Segway. About an hour into our Segway tour, my wife started to feel lightheaded, so we pulled over in front of a park so that she could take a seat and rest for a few minutes. While sitting there we were approached by a very nice woman who was in uniform, and she offered assistance by providing a bottle of water to my wife, which was greatly appreciated.

At first we assumed that the very helpful woman was an employee of the park and that she was taking responsibility for my wife since we were right in front of the park. However, after a minute, it became clear that in fact she was not a park employee. The woman was actually a tour guide company employee for The Duck Tours, and she went out of her way to help us when she saw we needed assistance even though she did not have to – we were not on  tour with The Duck Tours.

We happened to sit down next to her and a few coworkers who were simply waiting for their tour to begin outside of the park. My wife and I were impressed that a perfect stranger was so genuinely helpful, when she could have simply ignored us and continued conversing with her coworkers. She refused a tip and she refused to let us reimburse her for the water bottle that she gave my wife. We rode away smiling knowing that there are still kindhearted individuals in society who are willing to help others without expecting any compensation or personal gain.

Thank you to the kind woman who made a nice difference that day. A great lesson for all of us to pay attention to those around us and see what kind of help we can offer to someone in need.

To Inspire Conversation: How about your thoughts on Compassion?

• Have you had a similar experience you’d like to share?
• When was the last time a total stranger made a difference in your life?
• Do you believe people today possess more compassion than twenty years ago or less?