Outside our hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a seemingly ancient woman waited beside the door with her hand outstretched. Every day I put my hand in hers as our eyes met. She never
failed to return my smile, my grasp, and my greeting.
On the last day of our visit, I found myself alone on a busy corner across the street from our
hotel. Bicycles and motorbikes rushed in front of me. As I hesitated on the sidewalk, I felt a hand
on my elbow and looked down to see the smile of my small beggar friend looking up at me. She
nodded her head toward the street, indicating that she would take me across. Together, we moved
slowly into the chaos.
Then we moved on toward the sidewalk, where she pulled my face down to hers, kissed me on
both cheeks, and then left, still smiling and waving back to me.
Traveling in poorer nations, I have witnessed a variety of ways to deal with beggars. The most
common response of tourists faced with the poverty-stricken is to ignore them and focus their eyes
elsewhere. I have seen people push away an outstretched hand in angry annoyance. A few may drop
a few coins into the hand in a hurry, hoping that other ragged pursuers won"t immediately appear on
the scene.
For many reasons, giving money is not the best response to an outstretched hand. Many world
travelers have discovered that the greatest gift they can give is their time and respect. Everyone needs
recognition, to be seen as worthy of being known, to feel appreciated and loved. And I believe that
everyone is worthy and worth knowing.