It was Monday, and I was just taking a break from work Downtown to grab a quick burger at the McDonald’s down the street. I was starving, my head was full of problems I was having at work and at home and I was only thinking of getting back to my desk.

As I pulled up, I saw a Native American woman sitting on the sidewalk just outside the restaurant. She looked homeless and destitute, but I knew I didn’t have any change on me and honestly, I didn’t feel like being bothered. I avoided eye contact and subtly adjusted my route to avoid her.

A few minutes later I came out with my food and detoured through the parking lot again to reach the safe haven of my car.

As I sat there eating, I kept a defensive eye on my rear view mirror to make sure no one was coming to bother me. As I did, I happened to see a tall young Black man talking to the woman as she sat on the ground. He was wearing saggy jeans and his hair was braided in cornrows, a style favored by scores of bad-boy rappers and professional athletes.

But I guess what really caught my attention was the young man’s body language. He bent from the waist to speak to the woman in a such a respectful, solicitous way that I had to wonder…could he possibly know her? What was he saying to her? It looked to be a fairly involved, civil conversation – but as far as I could see, no money had changed hands.

I almost forgot about it all when, a few minutes later, I saw the man emerge from the restaurant with two bags of food. In my rear view, I watched as he nodded and smiled at the woman and bent over politely to hand her one of the bags. Then he walked over to his huge red pickup truck and got ready to drive away.

Finally jerked out of my self-involved wallow, I sat there for a second to register what I just saw. And then I knew I had to reach out and acknowledge the young man’s act, a graceful gesture that bestowed dignity on them both.

Right now.

I started my car swiftly and pulled up alongside him.

“I saw what you did,” I said. “That was very cool.”

He looked up, surprised, and smiled at me.

“Oh yes ma’m,” he said, shrugging. “My mother brought me up right. That woman was just hungry, that’s all. I don’t see how people can just walk past people like that.”

Ashamed, I thought of my actions a few minutes before.

“You know, you’ve inspired me,” I said, looking him directly in the eye. “The next time I find myself in that situation, I am going to do what you did.”

He smiled shyly.

“Yes ma’am. Each one teach one.”

It was a humbling experience, sitting in a fast food parking lot and being reminded how to be more human from someone young enough to be my son.

But my dreaded preoccupation was gone, and I was grateful as I headed back to work… with my head clear at last and my heart open to expressing thoughtfulness and compassion in the unlikeliest of places.

And I hope I don’t sound too sappy when I say this…but my Monday morning parking lot lesson is one I hope to retain and apply to my entire life – and not just when I’m grabbing a quick burger at McDonald’s.