There was a human-interest...
Illustration
There was a human-interest story in The New York Times several years ago that
told about a woman named Phyllis Cohen and her encounter with a homeless woman in
Penn Station. She gave the woman a dollar and asked her which was the nearest exit to
Macy's.
Phyllis reported, "Her face lit up like a corpse come to life. She gave me detailed directions and walked with me to be sure I got it right, talking animatedly all the way. It seemed as though by asking something of her, by assuming she had something to give, I had validated, or reinstated her personhood."
Ms. Cohen wrote, "I think of her often, of her reacting as though I'd given her a great gift. Sometimes I consider going to Penn Station to seek her out, but I hope not to find her there. I hope she's moved on to being a real person at all times."
Phyllis reported, "Her face lit up like a corpse come to life. She gave me detailed directions and walked with me to be sure I got it right, talking animatedly all the way. It seemed as though by asking something of her, by assuming she had something to give, I had validated, or reinstated her personhood."
Ms. Cohen wrote, "I think of her often, of her reacting as though I'd given her a great gift. Sometimes I consider going to Penn Station to seek her out, but I hope not to find her there. I hope she's moved on to being a real person at all times."
