By Kevin de l’Aigle
So often in the Lowcountry, we have an experience of awe when seeing a beautiful sunset across the marsh or while walking dogs on silvery beaches below infinite sky and clouds. But today I experienced a different kind of awe — the awe of experiencing a human moment that we seldom seem to experience these days.
This morning I met a friend for coffee at Urban Brew on Boundary Street.
I was seated facing the door, chatting with my friend, and a very thin, bedraggled older man, clearly having a hard time, walked in the door. As the man shuffled towards the counter, a few people looked up for a moment to glance at him, but quickly their eyes fell back onto their laptops.
At that moment, a young woman sitting across from us popped out of her chair, heading straight to the counter, as people looked out of the corner of their eyes to see what would happen next.
This young woman beat him up to the counter, pulled out her wallet. and discreetly bought the man breakfast before he could even open his mouth.
I could feel a collective sense of awe at this very human moment of compassion as those gathered in the cafe seemed to glow with inspiration for a moment. This small act of kindness, quietly done without hesitation, created a shift in the room. For a moment, we all felt just a little more human loving kindness.
I had a moment of “there but for the grace of God, go I …” But it wasn’t a smug feeling. I didn’t feel lucky. I felt very, very small, as I quickly realized how little difference there is between myself and this man.
A few moments earlier, I realized I had left my wallet at home, and my friend kindly bought me breakfast. The man and I were both in a vulnerable place — hungry and thirsty and relying on the kindness of connection and communion.
I sometimes reflect that we individuals are like spokes on a wheel. We think we are distant from others, but we are similar in emerging to the wisdom of non-duality through the gateway of compassion.
As the lyrical Rumi put it: “I am not Christian, or Jew, or Muslim, not Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, or Zen. I belong to neither the East nor the West… I have put duality away, I have seen that the two worlds are one; One I seek, One I know, One I see, One I call.”
Kevin de l’Aigle is a local hospitality executive and certified yoga teacher. He sings in the choir at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and enjoys life in downtown Beaufort with his family and three rescue dogs.