Wise Girl Rewrites Blind Beggar’s Sign, Long Queue Greets Him Soon After – Story of the Day

Samantha walked past a blind beggar on the street and saw that his cap was still empty despite being there all day. After reading the sign he was holding, she decided to make some changes, altering the course of the beggar's day in the process.

Samantha walked quickly as she coursed through a bustling street in New York. Tons of people littered the area and the sound of car horns blared in the air. The characteristic smell of asphalt and smoke tickled her nose as she accelerated her step. It was way past noon, and she had yet to eat because it had been a hectic day, much like most of her days working at an advertising agency.

She finally found a window to step out for a sandwich but she had to return quickly. She was finishing a big project for an important client that could change her career. Samantha was in her late 20s and one of the best in her field already, so her boss placed so much trust in her.

Samantha stopped when she spotted a blind beggar sitting near the sandwich shop. | Source: Pexels

But just as she got closer to the sandwich shop, Samantha stopped. There was an older man with pitch-black glasses sitting on the sidewalk and begging for some coins for food. He held a cane in his hand, emphasizing his blindness.

She searched through her pockets for some spare change and considered buying him a sandwich, but then she read the message on his cardboard sign. Based on his almost-empty baseball cap, it seemed that things haven't been working well for him.

He probably hadn't eaten all day, and it broke Samantha's heart. She tossed the few coins she had in the cap just as an idea popped into her head.

"Hello, sir. I'm Samantha. How long have you been here?" she asked the blind beggar in her gentlest voice.

"Hello, there. I'm Nick. I've been here all day," the man said, nodding his head and pointing his face toward her voice.

She came up with an idea and grabbed his cardboard sign. | Source: Pexels

"Ok. I'm going to get you something to eat from the sandwich shop. But would you let me do something first?" Samantha asked, wetting her lips with her tongue.

"Bless you, young lady. I'll let you do anything. But what is it?"

"It's a secret. I just want to see if this works," she replied, and the man nodded, although he was clearly confused.

Samantha went into her purse, grabbed a big black marker she always carried, and took the beggar's cardboard sign. She turned it over and wrote a new message.

"What did you do, young lady?" the man asked. "Did you write something new?"

Samantha went into the sandwich shop, got something for Nick too, and returned to work. | Source: Pexels

Samantha smiled, thinking how amazing it was for people with disabilities to be so sensitive to what was happening around them. Nick clearly heard every sound she made and understood what she was doing.

"It's an experiment, Nick. In this world, it's about how you phrase things, and I hope this helps you out," she explained, although Nick was obviously still confused. "I want to see if it works."

Samantha stood up, bought a sandwich for herself and for Nick, and went back to work. A few hours later, she exited the office and decided to check on Nick and if her little experiment worked.

Honestly, she didn't have much hope. The streets can be so busy with people rushing to and fro that they rarely have time to focus on other people. Regardless, she kept her fingers crossed.

To her surprise, Nick's cap was overflowing with coins and bills. | Source: Pexels

To her utter surprise, there was a long line of people near where she spotted Nick, and she wondered if the sandwich shop was offering a special deal. The queue started moving rapidly, and Samantha finally noticed that people had lined up to give Nick money.

Her mouth dropped in shock. She stood right before Nick and saw that his cap was full of coins and bills.

"Oh my God," she whispered, and she smiled as more people kept stopping in front of Nick to provide assistance.

"Young lady? Samantha? Is that you?" Nick suddenly called, and Samantha kneeled near him.

"It's me, Nick. Wow! Look at all this! This is fantastic!" she exclaimed.

Samantha revealed what she had written on the cardboard sign. | Source: Pexels

"Young lady, you have to tell me what you wrote on that sign. People have been stopping and queuing to give me money. What's going on?" the older man asked in confusion.

"Well," Samantha shrugged. "I wrote, 'Today is a beautiful day, and although I can't see it, I hope you enjoy and appreciate everything you have.'"

Nick smiled. "That's beautiful, Samantha. You have a way with words," he stated, his voice choking up with emotion.

"I work in advertising, so it's my job to find nice words like that. But I didn't know if this would work. It actually gives me hope that the world is not so jaded," she uttered, still shocked by everyone's generosity.

Samantha loved that her words made a difference, even in such a busy New York street. | Source: Pexels

Nick nodded thoughtfully. "You're right, young lady. We should never give up hope that goodness will prevail over anything else, especially when things are particularly hard."

Samantha grinned. She said goodbye to Nick and walked home with the greatest sense of relief and an unending smile on her face. Her passion for advertising and the power of words made a real difference that day. Life is good.

What can we learn from this story?

• Words can make all the difference. Samantha changed the message on Nick's cardboard sign, and it changed everything for him.
• Use your passion for good as much as you can. Samantha used her creativity to help an older man on the street, and it felt more amazing than landing a new client.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who walked past a beggar with a baby who looked oddly familiar.

This story is inspired by the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.