On my walk today I saw a man coming toward me in the opposite direction that made me uneasy. He looked as if he hadn't showered in weeks, his clothing was tattered, his bare chest was exposed and the closer he got the more crazed he looked.
I wasn't scared for my safety as this was on a main road but it's very unusual to see someone with his appearance in my neighborhood. Immediately I heard the verbal tug of war between my Gremlin and my Genie deciding to say hello or to just ignore him as we were ready to pass each other.
I chose to go with my Genie - my heart - and before I knew it a big smile and a hearty hello came out of my mouth. He stopped, looked back at me as I kept walking and said two simple words that just shook me to the core - "Thank you."
Then I stopped and looked back at him with tears in my eyes and gently said, "Your welcome." No longer was I seeing a crazed looking man - now I was simply seeing a human being with a gentle face.
Can you imagine the amount of people he's passed by who have looked the other way or moved further away out of fear. I can only imagine his pain, his sadness, his frustration. I don't know anything about him and I'm sure it's nothing like I was originally thought.
When we can look beyond the appearance and move into our heart it gives us the opportunity to receive a gift from someone we might never have thought was possible.
My only regret is that I didn't take his hand in mine when I said, "Your welcome." and learn a little bit more about him.
Next time.




Recent Comments