I was at the bus intercahnge last week and I came across this old lady who was selling packet tissue there. She was sitting on the floor and everytime the crowd watlked over from the MRT station, she would raise her voice and say "tissue paper" in Hokkien.

I thought to myself, why not get some tissue from her and just give her $5? After all, the $5 would not mean much to me but I could be a decent dinner for her.

So I went forward and took $5 from my purse. She was selling the tissues at $1 for a whole strip of 12 packets of tissue. I asked for one and she packed it into a bag for me. I gave her the $5 note and told her to keep the change. She insisted that she gave me my change. I tried to tell her it was ok but she insisted and she fumbled through her little purse to get $4 to return to me. There and then, while trying to insist that she took the money, I came to a realisation.

She is earning a decent living. She does not want pity or charity. She has her pride.

The whole episode made me reflect on my actions. Why had I assumed in the beginning that I would be doing her a service by giving her extra money? True, she did look old and frail and pitiful sitting there but she has her pride too. She was not begging. She was trying to sell tissue paper to people like me who need or want tissue.