Some months ago I went to visit my mom over the weekend. As I was exiting the subway at 167th street I saw a woman struggling with a bunch of chairs and some cases of beer in a laundry cart.
Honestly, though I usually help, I’m not always eager to get involved with other people’s stuff these days. Anyway, all the men walked past her and no one offered help. I noticed one person offering to assist her. I caught up with them and saw that the person helping was struggling and almost fell. I ran over and offered to take over. That’s when I realized the helper was a stud. She looked at me for a moment then walked away without a word.
I helped her with the first set of stairs and asked which way she was going. After she told me, I helped with the remaining stairs. Along the way, I ended up pulling a muscle in my lower back. I was already a bit vulnerable from deadlifts and underestimated how heavy her load was. I wasn’t sure why she was moving all this alone. I jokingly asked, “Where are all the people who’ll be sitting in these chairs and drinking the Coronas? They should be helping too.” She smiled quietly, thanked me, and we went our separate ways.
Today was my first day in therapy for neck and lower back pain. I kept kicking myself for being so “helpful” all the time. They say “no good deed goes unpunished,” and as I hobble around in pain, I can’t help but believe that. Maybe I should have just minded my own business and let the stud finish the job.
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