It was already dark when we got off the carriage that offered us a lift on the last stretch of road. The kind guy with his tractor was sorry he couldn't take us all the way to the ashram. He left us at a crossroads and pointed us in the right direction. "Just walk in that direction for about half an hour, then go left at the fork," he said.
It was quite a busy crossroads, with a bus stop, a small stall selling everything and a dozen people hanging around. We waved goodbye, shared our gratitude, and set on for the last stretch of the day.
I took the rear of the group, as I often did in the previous days. Behind me, a man was silently walking in the same direction. I saw him sitting at the bus stop when we arrived. He looked like someone at the end of a tiring workday, so I figured he was returning home. Anyway, we walked for almost half an hour. It was a dark road, with few houses scattered along the way where families were getting ready for dinner. We finally made it to the fork.
"What did the guy say? Was it left or right?"
Suddenly, the man who had been walking silently behind us all that time spoke. He pointed to the road on the left and told us that that was the right way to get to our final destination. Then, without saying anything else, he turned and started walking back from where we came.
He walked for half an hour just to make sure we were on the right path.
That man showed us where to go and taught me a lesson that day.
Be helpful where you are with what you have.