no good deed



There is an old saying, "No good deed goes unpunished."

I can attest to that.

The other day I was going into my local supermarket and saw an older lady struggling to get a shopping cart out of the row of interlocked shopping carts. I stepped up and pulled the cart out for her. I then noticed that there was a large green piece of paper (food wrapper?) in the bottom of the cart. I asked the woman if she wanted the paper to remain in the bottom of the cart and she laughed and said no. I picked the paper up and went to throw it into a large nearby trash receptacle. When I did so, I banged my thumb on the side of the trash bin opening. I banged it hard. Ouch! Yes, I felt it. Yes, it hurt. Hours later I had a nice dark red bruise/hematoma on my skin where I banged it. The bruise was very ugly and very noticeable and over the next few days a number of people noticed it and commented on it, including a doctor's assistant.

It took like five days for the unsightly bruise to start going away. It looked a lot worse in the days before I took the above photo.

So I did a good deed and got a bad bruise for my efforts. Is that what I get for helping someone, for doing a good deed? No good deed goes unpunished?

Upon reflection, I would do it again, I would help someone who needed help. I am a good deed doer. Even if no good deed goes unpunished. Even if I get a bad bruise for my good deed. Because I am a nice person who wants to help others. That's who I am.