Oh George

Look at me .. 8 days of continuous blogging. Weird.

So today I had a very odd experience that has had me thinking all afternoon.  First I walked over to the gym, which is, by itself, amazing. But on my way home I was thinking about stopping for a coffee. My mind was else where, but I noticed an older gentleman across the street just sitting in his wheel chair. I glanced over and didn't register right away that something might be wrong. But you know when you see something and it takes your mind like a second longer to register?  Yah, that's what happened.

I noticed this gentleman with his head down and slumped over in his chair. He looked like he was sleeping. Beyond that though he didn't have a jacket on. And that's what got me looking a second time. Something wasn't right. So I went across the street to check it out.

The man did appear to be sleeping. I shook him to see if I could wake him up. Nothing. So I dialed 911.  All I could think of was I hope he's not dead.

911 dispatched the EMTs. They pulled over, hopped out of their rig and one of them said, "Oh George." Clearly they knew this guy.

Apparently George escapes from a care facility up the street on a regular basis.  He's not really working mentally at full capacity and often just leaves and gets lost. Scary! The EMTs said he doesn't usually go too far and they do generally track him down.  Again, scary. 

The got George talking, mumbling really, and loaded him into the back of the ambulance. The EMT thanked me for calling and said most people wouldn't have.

And you know, I think he's right. We're often so caught up in our every day lives that we may not even bother.  I just think what would I want to have done if it were my dad, or anyone I know and love.  I'd want someone to stop.

I recently read or heard that there's a phenomenon that often happens during accidents, crimes etc.  No one does anything because they think someone else will. That has got to stop. We have got to start looking out for each other. Trusting each other. I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a good truster when it comes to someone I don't know offering to help me, but I think I need to learn to let that go and just trust people are good.

I'm sure George is a good person and would appreciate a person helping out.