As I was riding the subway
to a running race early one Saturday morning, a homeless man sitting across me
from me decided to strike up a chat. Morning communication is not one of my
strengths so I really wasn’t in the mood but I reluctantly joined. There was
nobody else within a reasonable distance, I was alone and he looked harmless
enough. I really couldn’t find an excuse
to be rude.
He opened with the inquiry
“Why is there a number pinned to your shirt?”
It wasn’t the brightest
question since I was clothed in running attire and holding a water bottle so at
first I felt no duty to dignify it with a factual answer. My initial urge was
to sing the words “American Idol tryouts!”
Alas, that thought led me to
questioning my integrity about reaching a point in life where I received
pleasure from mocking a homeless man. My conscience persuaded me otherwise and
I truthfully answered “I was off to Central Park for a 5k race.”
It was only a few miles of
running but he seemed quite impressed and responded “Wow, I wish I could do
something like that. That’s amazing.”
That seemed to satisfy his
curiosity and he began to relax back into his seat. To my surprise, halfway
through that process he jolted back with pure enthusiasm. A revolutionary idea
must have clicked in his head and with a big smile he asked “You wanna know the
best feeling in the world?”
While I was slightly
apprehensive to learn his greatest joy, he seemed genuinely excited to share
and there was still plenty of time left in my ride. I was clueless as to what
was going to come out of his mouth and that also aided me into saying “Please
tell.”
He announced “A lot of times
I wake up in the morning unsure of where I am but if I find food in my pockets,
it makes me so happy and I know it will be a great day.” He then opened a bag
of gumdrops freshly pulled from his pockets and offered me a handful.
Despite it being a bit gross
and a peculiar breakfast meal, it was the sweetest thing I have ever witnessed.
A stranger with far less in his life invited me to join in on their favorite
moment.
I was tempted to pick out a
green one because I didn’t want him to feel his food was inferior. Then I
realized I’d never appreciate eating (or possibly fake eating) any piece of the
candy more than he would. With a heartfelt grin, I told him “Thank you very
much but I am not really hungry.”
After a few silent minutes
of watching him enjoy his snack, my stop approached. I stood up and said “Thank
you again, it meant a lot to me that you would offer.” I then handed him the
$20 bill I always carry to races in case of an emergency and I thought to
myself, maybe my trip home will be slower now but at least I have one to go to.
He looked shocked as he accepted
it and I’m hoping it’s because he never once asked for anything besides
conversation.
As I exited, he wished me good
luck in the race and to have a Merry Christmas……. Okay those last 4 words are
false since this actually occurred a few months ago. He wasn’t a lunatic and
referenced Christmas mid-September. I admit my original scheme was trying to cheat
this essay into the giving season and New Year's but I felt dirty lying around
the holidays. The truth is, he said “Happy Labor Day”……..
Anyway, reflecting back on
this piece, it has been selfishly written. It’s made me look at the bigger picture
in life and become aware that I am not the only one with problems. Everyone has
them and a lot of them are a hell of a lot worse than mine. It’s not always the
situation to blame, its how it’s dealt with. In 2013 I’m spending more time eating
gumdrops and I invite everyone who reads this to join.
