Teenagers Helped a Man on Crutches When He Expected the Worst

The story

Richard Munoz broke his ankle playing basketball. After surgery he moved through the city on crutches, which is a way of being visible and vulnerable at the same time.

A group of teenagers approached. He braced for trouble. They offered help instead. The story ran in the Guardian’s “Kindness of Strangers” series and later circulated through Good News Network because it overturned a cheap assumption about young people.

What happened next

Nothing else epic happened. That is the point. He got where he was going. The teens went on with their night. A man updated his guess about the world.

A lesson you can use this week

Notice who looks stuck on your sidewalk. Offer the specific thing: “I can carry that bag.” And if you are the one who looks intimidating to a stranger, lead with the help so they do not have to guess your intent.

Sources

The Guardian, Kindness of Strangers series, as summarized by Good News Network, “He Was Injured with Crutches When a Group of Scary Teens Offered the Kindness of Strangers.”