There is a little, old man who I often see around town and near our home upcountry. Every time I see him, he is dressed from head to toe in Hawaiian-print garb; on his head sits a tattered, woven hat and around his neck lays a black, kukui-nut necklace. He is friendly and waves to everyone around him. Everytime I see him, I smile and wave back. He is friendly and eager for conversation, but I gather that he isn't "all there", because I often see him talking to himself and engaged in a solo conversation.
He is a permanent, regular fixture outside our Costco in town and at the grocery store near our home. He calls out to people as they leave, often commenting on what they have in their carts, asking them what they are making for lunch or dinner, depending on the time of day. There is something about him that I find endearing. I don't know if it is his smile that I can always count on, or if it is the fact that he is an adorable, old man who very much reminds me of my late grandfather. What I DO know is that I like him. Very much.
What I find peculiar about this scenario is not that he is a man who may or may not be struggling with some form of mental illness, but that I often see people ignoring him. They will walk right past him, avoiding eye contact and conversation, seemingly dismissing him as a public nuisance. And this makes me sad.
My gut tells me that this man is harmless; he is simply looking for anyone to pay him attention. I have no idea what his life story is, where he calls "home", or what he does with his day, but I find myself oddly drawn to him. I suspect he is lonely and in need of human contact. And by nature, I aim to please, so what's a girl to do in this situation? My gift for Day 24 was the gift of Conversation.
So on this particular day, as I left the grocery store with a few ingredients I needed to make our salad that evening, I walked right up to him and said hello. He looked at me with his smiling eyes and gestured for me to take a seat at the patio table opposite him. I sat.
I spent 5 minutes talking to him, answering his questions and complimenting him on his friendly nature. Our conversation was quick, fragmented and without focus, confirming my suspicions that he might not be well, but in those five minutes, my heart was full. Though not completely "there", he still knows and fully understands kindness and compassion. He spoke of the birds in the parking lot whom he sneaks crumbs of food to. He spoke of the people and their beautiful children who come and go in their hurried attempts to buy groceries. And he spoke of the sunshine and how living on Maui all these years, he has grown to love the feel of the sun on his face. He is a lovely man.
My gift for Day 24 was meant for him, but at the end of the day, I see it was also a gift for ME. Who knew that taking 5 minutes to converse with a total and complete stranger could bring me happiness and contentment?
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Today's Gratitude List:
1) Another productive day at work and receiving kudos from The Bossman for a job well done.2) Cashing in on Rewards at the grocery store.
3) Finding an extra $20 hidden in between the handful of receipts in my wallet.
I LOVED this post today, thank you for sharing it : ) I can so identify with everything you were saying. So many people are in a hurry today and we don't often stop to think about making someone else's day.
ReplyDeleteI just had this happen to me this past Saturday night actually. We have a lovely man that attends our church who also happens to have down syndrome. That's all...he's totally with it and other than that small defect he is just as normal as you and I.
I know he lives alone and he loves engaging in conversation and fellowshipping with others. But, I often see people from our congregation trying to hurry the conversation along and kind of brushing him off. I hate seeing him being treated that way because I'm sure it happens all the time.
Well, Saturday night I happened to run into him at Walmart and the same thing happened. He was in line and I could see other shoppers getting annoyed that he was a bit in the way trying to talk to me. I ignored it and kept right on happily talking to him, with a big smile on my face. I thought, 'He deserves this. He deserves to have someone care about what he has to say for once.' So, we talked for quite some time and I left feeling the same way as you...happy and blessed that we had shared that time together. Such a good feeling.
Hope you are doing well, my friend. Sending love your way today : )
Laura
What a beautiful gift, I had tears in my eyes while I was reading this! You are a girl after my own heart. People have no idea what a smile or even a quick hello can do for someone, such a simple gift to give but soo hard for many to give! Your such a beautiful person inside and out!
ReplyDeleteLaura: First of all, I just LOVE your long comment(s); they feel more like a conversation than a simple comment at the end of my post...so, thank you for that. Thank you for reading and for taking the time to share your own stories with me.
ReplyDeleteI love the act of kindness that you extended to your neighbor, but I love it even more that you did so without feeling pressure from the shoppers who were impatient or annoyed by his presence. THANK YOU! You are spot-on in your thinking that "he deserves this"; we all do. And someday, it could be US in a similar situation where all we need is the kindness from our neighbor to improve our day or make us feel good. Again, thank you so much for sharing this story with me. Much love to you, friend! xoxo.
Heather: Aww, thanks so much for your kind words...very much appreciated!
Angie, sometimes I wonder what difference we could make if we traveled the world and spreading good to everyone we meet. I'm so comforted by the fact that someone is out there that cares as much, enjoys making others happy/smile, doesn't ask for anything in return. I can't express how much of an inspiration you are to me. I say that so much (I know).
ReplyDeleteI know you made his day. The feeling you took back with you when you went home is comparable I'm sure to how he felt :)
xoxo
Katie
I'm catching up on your Gift posts and absolutely love this one! What a beautiful gift to share with someone that most likely does not have very much conversation in his life. You are amazing!
ReplyDelete