Silent inspiration

Have you ever watched someone over a period of time and find that there is something about them that intrigues you?

People fascinate me!

We are all just trying to get through this thing called life, and sometimes it’s really hard!  Sometimes it’s all we can do to get out of bed!  (that’s me pretty much EVERY morning).

We are constantly looking for ways to be better, and sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees….. until we see a small glimmer in the distance…..

Every day I take my daughter to middle school.  I drive the same route ever day.  And because it’s the same time every day, I usually see the same people walking their daily walk….  And I find myself lingering on them (safely while I drive, of course), because I find myself admiring their dedication.  On one side of the street, where there is a really pretty walking path, I see a group of senior citizens walking and talking.  It’s pretty much the same group every day.  I look at each and wonder who they are and what’s there story.  For those of you who don’t really know me, I’m REALLY good at making stories up in my head when I watch people.

In this group, there is one man who stands out to me.  I’m guessing he’s in his late 60s or early 70s.  White hair, distinguished looking and has a kind face.  Kind of looks like someone who would have been on Marcus Welby MD, or even Perry Mason.  He dresses nice when he walks, usually khakis and an Izod shirt (which is why you can see I’ve “dated him” for the 70s time period).

I don’t know why he sticks out to me the most, but he does.  And when I walk by the group and say Hi, he’ll usually respond if he’s not in an in-depth conversation.

When I see this group of people, I wonder how they all got together.  And I want to go to my moms house and unsuspectingly drop her into this group, because these people are truly enjoying their walk together.

Life is so much easier with friends, isn’t it?

On the other side of the street, as I drive my beautiful daughter, I see a whole other story entirely…..  And older gentleman, walking solo looking pained in every step.  He has a heavy limp, and I can only guess (here comes the story) that the doctors told him, in order to keep mobility of the damaged leg, you will have to keep moving.

I’m 99% sure he lives in the senior community on the other side of the gate.  By shear deducing, there’s no easy way to get on that side of the road unless you walked a long way, or just walked out the gate.

In any case, when I see this man, I can’t help but feel so proud of him.  While the group on the pretty side of the road are all together, they have each other to distract them from the walk (or rather to help them enjoy the walk).  While this lonely gentleman on the other side, walks alone….but determined……

I wonder if he’s an angry old man, or just a guy who’s got a bum leg and a lot of determination!

He has NO idea how inspired I am by him.  And how he has shown me that I shouldn’t take my health for granted.  I see HIM more often than I see the group.  Maybe because I actually look for him as I drive down the long street to drop off my daughter.

I’ve literally wanted to pull up to him as I pass by and tell him thank you and that I think he’s awesome.  But there is no stopping on this street, and people tend to drive fast, so it’s just not safe!

Today, I was out walking one of my dogs and I saw him directly across the street from me.  I resisted the impulse to run across the street and talk to him (and if you know how impulsive I am, that was quite the feat of self control).   I didn’t want to freak the poor guy out.  Instead, I just stared at him for a few minutes.  And as luck would have it, and for whatever reason, he looked up and across the street at me.  I smiled and waved like a 2 year old seeing Santa on the Fire Truck in a parade! (don’t ask where that came from).  I was SO HAPPY he noticed me, but I’m also happy that he excitedly waved back.  Maybe he DOES know I’ve been watching him.  But I realized today that if the opportunity comes again, I WILL run across the street,  He’s NOT an angry old guy, just a man determined to keep mobile.  And with that, I will do my best to NOT take my health for granted and I WILL take the opportunity to let him know he’s changed my outlook on how I feel about myself.

You never know who is watching.  So if someone is going to run across the street to greet you, I hope it’s because you unknowingly put a smile on their face!!!

Happy Monday!