I will forgo the Rice & Beans update because there is really not much to tell other than I am surviving. I have learned that not having what you want and not being able to get it, is tougher than it looks. I will never fully appreciate what it means to be totally without, but having a peek inside... it's not pretty. To think how many people around the world go to bed hungry because they just didn't have enough to eat. The fact that having just one meal is looked upon by many as either their last meal or a touch of salvation. Scary.
What I will post about is a rather unusual incident that happened this evening while shopping. Let me give you some background information first on the particular individual that I will be talking about. This gentleman is African American, walks with a cane, and carries a large boom box with headphones. I occasionally see him walking through town, but the experiences I have had with the gentleman has always happened at Walmart. Yeah, that's right Walmart.
I was shopping with my wife when we heard singing, and no it was not from the speaker system. It was rather loud, but in tune. I smiled at my wife because I knew who it was without even looking. Sure enough we come around the corner, here is this gentleman, basket over-flowing with groceries, headphones on and singing his heart out, oblivious to his surroundings. We have had a previous encounter with this same gentleman, who likes to sing without any concern about the people around him.
This time I decided not to watch him, which I had before, but spend some time observing the reactions on the faces of those who were around him. At first I expected the typical freak-out, walk away fast type of attitude, but what I witnessed was rather surprising. People looked, who wouldn't have, but turned away smiling, no not laughing. There were a few comments, but none negative. Everyone seemed to actually brighten up as they came around him. Maybe it was the fact he sang with emotion, or just the fact he had the guts to sing out loud in such a public place, who knows. All I know is that people walked away smiling.
As I was walking up and down each isle, I started to wonder, what impact am I leaving behind me? Are my actions being seen as something to smile about or something to frown at?
That gentleman will probably never know what he had done to just a handful of people. He may not even care. All I know is that when that gentleman stand before the Lord some day, the Lord is going to tell him all about the smiles he left behind.
These are my thoughts.
Chappy
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