“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have, because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.”
—Michelle Obama
“Excuse me, young lady.” I heard a quiet, familiar voice behind me in a parking lot. Sure enough, I recognized the slight man, with his head full of white hair and his plaid shirt: for years, he was a produce manager at a local grocery store. When my shopping coincided with his shift, he’d offer his kind smile and ask if I wanted to hear a poem. I always answered yes, and he’d recite short, sincere poems. It always made my day brighter.
He now engaged me with a silly joke, both of us laughing, before rummaging through a box in his car to produce a spiral-bound book. “This is my gift to you, fresh from my publisher.”
We’d met many times before, I told him, but I hadn’t seen him for quite some time and often wondered about him. I told him what joy he’d brought to my life in each of these short interactions.
He smiled and said, “Well, I hope you’ll write me a letter and let me know what you think of my life’s work.” Then we parted, Joseph and I… me gently carrying his life's work in my hands.
There are so many ways to hate. There are so many ways to be angry, and to seek out differences with the people around us.
There are also many ways to connect. There are so many ways to love and to find joy; so many opportunities to regard life from a different perspective.
I don’t know what political party Joseph is affiliated with, I don’t know if he has a religious identity, or what neighborhood he lives in. But what I do know is that he, like me, has a deep desire to connect with people, to share his joy, to exist in a world where a mere stranger is delighted to hear his poetry.
What a gift it was to see him today: to connect deeply with a stranger because he felt brave enough to share a piece of their soul with me.
I believe that all of us together can and will create a beautiful, courageous and joy-filled world as long as we continue to hold love at the center of who we are.
Prayer
Spirit of life and love, of connection and miracles… help us to lead with love, and to find small, everyday ways to connect with the strangers we meet. Give us the courage to share the poetry of our hearts with all those we encounter. May it be so, and may we be the ones to make it so.