Yesterday when WhoSEZ was riding a metro bus, a lady in her 70s boarded. She didn't have her fare ready, but the driver let her have a seat and count it out. She did this quickly and stood to take it forward, but the bus's sway was too challenging for her balance. She sat back down to wait for a stop. However, a young man, having noticed her dilemma, offered to carry her money to the fare box. She handed it over, and the problem was solved. He was pleased to have been able to help.
The lady turned to WhoSEZ and said, "Sometimes it's an act of charity when someone does something for you. And sometimes it's an act of charity to let them."
She's right, isn't she. So next time someone offers to help you, do him a favor: let him.
I myself was on the receiving end of great generosity last night. Amy 2.0 and I attended another performance of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, who were joined by two outstanding singers. There was a soprano (Dominique Labelle) whose voice rose and settled over the room like a jasmine-scented sheet on a bed, and a countertenor* (Robin Blaze) whose high notes were so pure they punched holes in the sky straight through to Heaven, and he had to shutter them with vibrato lest we all be blinded. If I could, I'd thank them for taking the time to learn how to do that, and for sharing their art. Come to think of it, I guess I did; I paid for a ticket, and I applauded loudly. But they deserved more.
* A countertenor is a man who sings even higher than a regular tenor. In the olden, not-so-golden days, countertenor roles were sung by castrati (that means exactly what you think it means), but now, my concert program tells me, such roles are sung by "constitutionally whole" men using falsetto voice. Bravo!