After I wrote yesterday's post, I put my plan into action and used that extra free second to say the simplest word known to man - hi. It took literally a second and as I learned, the small amount of time and effort it took to do this random act of kindness was a second well spent. As I walked down the street, the old man was once again outside his bakery sweeping aside a little snow and debris that covered his store's entrance. His back was toward me as I approached so I knew this probably was going to be awkward and I might need to save my hello for another day. However, footstep after footstep closed in the distance and with a single smile and a simple "hi", it brought the old man's world closer to mine. He had turned around in mid sweep and for the first time ever, I saw him look up. The old man's eyes were not clouded with cataracts, they actually had a little twinkle in them. He had a somewhat startled, but relieved look on his face that a total stranger had taken a brief moment to acknowledge his existence. He quickly put his head back down but not before replying with a polite and humble "morning sir". Sir? I'm a sir? I'm no sir. I'm still in my 20s! This man has 50+ years on me! Why do I deserve that respect?
If you think about it, it doesn't matter if a man is old, young, rich or poor. He still deserves some respect. I don't like the fact that if a world renowned surgeon is walking down the street and sees "Old Man Baker" outside in his tattered coat with a sweeping broom in hand, that the surgeon feels the old man is beneath him and won't say hello. Who cares if his coat probably costs less than your silk tie. Who cares if his wage is the same amount of money that many lay down for a coffee at Starbucks. Who cares if he is from another generation and the rest of the world may be up on today's news and have the latest tech gadget in their pockets, while "Old Man Baker" still uses quarters to buy his morning news and make his phones calls. He's a hard working man just like everyone else walking by and that alone entitles him to some respect, regardless if he carries his head high or holds it down low. Does it really matter if his life is so different than mine? Perhaps we aren't that different after all. I'm interested in finding out. I'm going to make it my own little personal mission to get to know this old man. Find out his name, where he's from, where his passions in life lye. Some may think I'm crazy for wanting to do this, but I tend to think others are crazy for not wanting to get to know someone that intrigues them. There is nothing more sincere than taking the time and making the effort to get to know someone and what a better way to get to know someone than just asking for the opportunity to do so. It all starts with a simple one second hi.
Maybe part of me also wanted to say hi to him because nobody else did and I felt bad. Nobody else seems to pay him any attention. Perhaps part of me worries that if something would happen to me financially and I wasn't able to retire at a decent age, that maybe I would become the very old man I see before me working a daily grind well into his 70s. I think I would want someone to acknowledge my existence. So perhaps just like in the movies, if you do pay it forward, then only good can come from it. Good will be in my future if I shall ever find myself one day in Old Man Baker's tattered coat. Good karma never hurts and a random act of kindness is always time well spent. My second is now officially used up and "Old Man Baker" and myself can both smile about that.
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