Help Ralph This is Someone This is Ralph

This is Ralph.

I cannot count how many times I’ve driven by Ralph pushing his shopping cart of bottles and cans over the years. You’ve undoubtedly seen Ralph If you live or travel in the East Bridgewater / Whitman area of Massachusetts.

I recently decided to pull over to introduce myself and chat.

Ralph lives with his two brothers in the Robbins Pond area of East Bridgewater. Their house is in foreclosure.

The round-trip trek from his home to the redemption center is twelve miles. Read that again…twelve miles.

Ralph is 71.

On a good week, he will make $200 in returns.

Ralph can be seen pushing the cart in the unrelenting humidity of a July heatwave and the zero-degree days of February.

People have shown kindness to Ralph; one gave him a reflective coat. Some give their deposit cans, while others provide a cold bottle of Spring water on those sweltering hot days.

Ralph also mentioned being treated as if he was invisible or, in his words, “like complete dirt” by others. The tone of his voice was laden with bewildered resignation as to why some are so unkind.

Though curious, I didn’t ask him to elaborate. I simply replied that his mistreatment was a reflection of their character, not his. For the first time in our conversation, Ralph averted my gaze, looked down at his well-worn shoes and gently nodded his head.

Ralph was polite and gracious. Though the man pushes a shopping cart twelve-miles almost every day, he laughed about not being in better shape because of a lifelong sweet tooth.

We often observe the same people everyday, yet know nothing about their lives. While I still know little about Ralph’s life, it’s evident he meets the challenge of each day with purpose and resolve. We should all be so dedicated.

No longer is he the nameless man pushing that weathered shopping cart.

I see you Ralph.