Yesterday I had the opportunity of having lunch at a diner located on Route 23 N.   It was raining and cold outside. We rushed into the diner and looked for a seat. The place was full except for this one booth. My husband and I were seated behind a grissly looking man with matted hair.  I didn’t look closely at him, just in passing.

My husband and I ordered our food, ate it, sat there talking and then I began to really take notice of the man sitting in front of me. Suddenly I realized that he was either a homeless man or a very unclean man. As he scratched his head, I wondered if he had lice and had any of them jumped onto my husband.

Sitting there I began to see him through different eyes. I began to wonder what happened in his life that caused him to become homeless. Was it drink, drugs, out of work, fired from a good job, did he lose his home - all of these thoughts and more were going through my mind.

As my husband was standing in line to pay for our bill, the thought went through my mind that I should offer to pay for his bill in case he didn’t have enough money to pay for it.

I signalled for the waitress to meet me at the counter. I leaned over and quietly asked her if this man had enough money to pay for his lunch. Her reply, “You don’t need to pay for it. You see our manager allows him to come in and have one good meal a week. Thank you for your kindness.  We probably should make him leave for he has been here for quite awhile.”   As we talked about how chilly and damp it was outside, one of the waitresses  went over and refilled his cup of coffee.  He knew I was talking about him for he looked over at me and his eyes were filled with sadness, weariness and kindness.

I sat at the counter and began to be thankful for all that we have and for my husband being able to retire on a good income. We have so much to be thankful for and this man has nothing except the kindness of strangers. 

Perhaps one day he will return to his rightful place in society, working, living in a home, perhaps get married and have children, but for right now he was in the right place at the right time for he helped me change my way of thinking by just being there.  

How I chose to look at another human being is up to me: I can look with disgust or look with compassion.

 Tobey Anne Craft

http://www.tobeyscandles.com