Conversations With a Stranger

I don't know his name; I don't know if he was married, I don't even know if he had kids. What I do know is that he was a man of many questions. They were questions that I couldn't answer, but have wondered myself more often than not. He's questions were many, yet always going go back to the same two - why have people changed and how did we let things get so bad in America? I got chills just listening to his questioning that he threw out into the vast space around the people walking by him. They merely paid no mind and let his spoken words fall on deaf ears. I didn't have any answers, but I wanted him to know, that he is not the only one that is feeling this way. Life is so different from the world in which we grew up as kids. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Thank You. Thank you for taking the time to hear me." He remarked in a raspy voice.

I immediately felt a loss for words. Here is man that appeared down on his luck, his clothes and sneakers were worn out due to frequent wear and tear, but he had new shoe laces. To know that I took the time to acknowledge him, he began to share how proud he was about his new shoe laces, rather than wanting answers.  To see his excitement on something as simple as a pair of new shoe laces, had me wondering, if part of his quest was just to draw attention to himself so that people would take notice and speak to him.

He never once asked for money or if I could spare a little change. He never gave me this long story that his car broke down and he needed money for a tow. He never asked for anything but an answer to his questions. I had no spare change or answers to give to him, so I gave him my time and attention, even if was for just a few short minutes. People looked at me in a questioning manor, as if I had broken the law to speak to someone that was possibly down on his luck. As I think about this more and more today, I honestly believe that all this man wanted was to be seen and heard - Nothing more. Normally I’d have been the same way as the rest of the citizens walking by, much too busy to take the time to listen to someone else’s stories or troubles. Just keep moving at lightning speed to get to a point of the unknown. How precious time is, and how terrible the thought that it is taken for granted each and every day by so many. That many believe the sun will come up tomorrow and that life will get better. Sure, for most these things will happen, however, what about those who have lost their jobs, their families, their ability to cope in their daily lives. What if the only thing they see is the darkness and that their only shining light is someone taking a small amount of their busy day to acknowledge they are there. How hard is it – really? How hard is it to demonstrate a simple act of kindness that will help someone feel that they still matter in this mass universe? Not only would this bring peace to someone’s day, but it will make your day as well.

I know my day started off pretty rough as I continue to battle the fight against outrageous cell phone expenses in my home. I often wonder if I fight this, because I feel I have nothing better to do, or maybe, just maybe in my heart of hearts I see all the frivolous things we take for granted every day while men, women and children, young and old, out in our world of worlds, are struggling to just get through a day. I can hear some of you now, “You work hard for your money, and why not enjoy it.”  My reasoning to answer your statement, the world is not as it once was. Companies are closing down; to find a job is like winning the lottery or finding gold, and the cost of products and services keeps going up and up. While I stood and spoke with this gentle soul, I smiled and couldn’t help but say to him, things will get better, just take one day at a time. That he should always remember, people hear him and maybe they walk by, because they too, cannot answer his questions, but don’t know how to give of themselves either and so it is easier to avoid a situation than try to make the best of it. He simply smiled. I guess in an indirect way, I had answered his question.  I was the one person in his day that had shown him the world was not completely changed. I took a moment to show compassion for a stranger and that America may be struggling, but there are people out there with the same fears and worries, taking it one day at a time. I believe that life is what you make of it and realize that if tomorrow never comes; I have done for others because I want to and by doing so, I feel better about myself and my place in this world. That I hope for future generations of the world, they go on to live their days by a few golden rules, the same ones we were taught when we were kids. As I walked across the road to go to my truck, I turned to send one remaining smile to the man who acutally made my day - he was gone.