The Lady With the Cart

20-Oct-2017 1045 hrs

Woke up this morning to a rainy day. I had to go run some errands about town which had to be done despite the rain.
So with my bag on my shoulders I trudged up the slope and onward to Thornleigh station. Enjoying the walk but pretending to feel sorry for myself.

As i reached the footover bridge to cross over to the station side, I saw this lady trying to ascend the slope with some sort of makeshift cart. It appeared to be what looked like an earlier cage cart, with the wheels removed, and now placed on a platform built of 10 mm thick plywood.
Inside this cage was a black bag which was meant to be waterproof and had some more bags within.

At first when i saw her I thought she was one of those homeless types looking all bedraggled in the rain as she made her feeble attempts to dislodge her cart which was refusing to move up the slope.

I walked up to her and asked if she needed help and she mumbled "Yes please" in a slurry sort of voice, reinforcing my assumption she was some half drugged / drunk old lady.
So I helped here trundle it up, feeling pleased with myself and thinking that my good turn for the day was done early in the day.
I got to asking her what was in her cart as we laboured over the bridge, by which time I had to carry the contraption with the hep of another gentleman, and thinking to myself about the absurdity of helping her carry what I assumed to be a bag full of her crazy belongings, and that too on the other platform, instead of the direction I was to travel.

By the time we reached the platform, she began explaining how she was on her way to Hornsby, to join her knitting group, where they meet once a week and knit stuff for charity. She told me she was 83 years old.

I cannot say whether i was more stunned, humbled or inspired by this.
She stayed in my thoughts for several days after that.
There is still much I need to learn about this life.