In our daily lives, we are often so shy that we can’t deal with the situation that we are not used to. But what if something unusual or unexpected happens? That’s what I experienced one evening in April on my way home from work.

As I was riding my bike home in the evening, I saw a big dirty dog with orange and white fur. It looked sad and lost, simply sitting in the middle of the road by a pedestrian (行人) crossing. It seemed unsure of what to do as it lay down and stared at the passing traffic. Nobody seemed to notice the dog either,only passing him by at a distance.

At first, I also crossed over to the other side, hoping that somebody else would care for the dog. But realizing that the dog might suddenly get up and walk into traffic. I decided to do something to help the dog.

When the light changed, I saw my chance. I used my bike to guide the dog to a street corner to keep it safe from passing cars. Slowly but surely, I was able to encourage the dog to keep walking until finally, we both got to the street corner. I messaged a dog shelter group to let them know about where the dog is. Yet by the time I turned to it again, the dog was gone.

Sometimes we don’t know what we will find or see in our daily lives. Still, what matters is how we deal with them. Although I’m shy in these situations, I’m glad I found the courage to help a dog in need, even if just for a moment.

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Once there was a small boy called Shankar who belonged to a poor family.

One day, he was walking through the forest, carrying some wood. He saw an old man who was very hungry. Shankar wanted to give him some food, but he did not have any food with him. So he continued on his way. On the way, he saw a fox who was very thirsty. He wanted to give him some water, but he did not have any water for himself. So he went on his way ahead.

Then he saw a young man with a dog who wanted to make a fire but did not have wood. Shankar learned about his problem and gave some wood to him. In return, the man gave him some food and water. Now he went back to the old man and gave him some food. Then he found the fox and gave some water to him. The old man and the fox were very thankful for Shankar’s help. Then Shankar went on his way happily.

Unluckily, one day Shankar fell down the hill. He was in pain but he couldn’t move and no one was there to help him. But the old man who he had helped before saw him, and quickly came and pulled him up the hill. Shankar had many wounds on his legs. The fox whom Shankar had given water to saw his wounds and quickly went to the forest and brought some herbs. The old man helped to put the herbs on Shankar’s wounds. After some time, Shankar got well. All were very happy that they were able to help each other. If you help others, then they will also help you.

A Meaningful Experience

In 2000, when I was about seven years old, all my family were coming back from a T-ball game. Unlike every other weekend, a surprise was waiting for us in our driveway—two adult geese and a small goose. Obviously startled by our return, the adults flew away in fear, with their baby left behind. Hours passed before night eventually fell. It was apparent that the gosling needed protection, warmth and food to make it to the morning. We brought the gosling to our backyard. We slept with one eye open till morning came. And then another morning. And still another. Each morning, we would try to drive the goose away to his parents, who kept coming back to our yard. Realizing the young goose had clearly decided we were his family by then, we gave him a name, calling the little guy Peeper.

A year passed and we settled into a routine. Gradually the little creature had grown into a big bird with two powerful wings. One day, when dad threw Peeper into the air, he just flew away and didn’t come back. With night falling, all of us became increasingly worried. We looked for him for a long time but he never appeared again. It took a long time before we accepted the fact that he was missing. We could only pray he found his parents and went off on his natural way.

It came as a total surprise to me when, in 2019, an adult goose made his way back to my family home. He did all of the same things Peeper used to do. Much to my surprise, he even responded to the name Peeper. It became clear to me that my old best friend had returned to our home many years later.

This experience has been as meaningful to me as anything in my life. Looking beyond our reach high in the sky, birds have feelings like human beings, so do many other living things. We human beings should learn to keep good relationship with them. We need each other’s care and protection for a better world.