NightrainSrt4
09-16-2007, 12:49 AM
Not everyday a complete stranger stops you, tells you something, and strikes a cord so deep, the feeling is unexplainable.
*THIS HAPPENED TO ME TODAY, THIS AFTERNOON.*
~I know most of you will look at this as too long to read, but I just have to get what happened out. It is really making me think a lot about my life.~
For most of the day, I have brushed off my encounter from this afternoon like it was nothing. But the more I try not to think about it, the more I do.
I had just arrived home from a trip to Lowes. As I walk to the apartment complex entrance I pass an elderly black man with a rolling walker who is walking in the opposite direction. As per my usual, I said "Hello".
In passing, he replies "Hi, how are you today" and I reply "I am doing good, and how are you". This was just one of those polite quick in passing conversations, that most people simply do out of curtsy.
Apparently most people don't do that.
As I reach for the apartment complex door I hear "SON! Come here". As I turn around he is waving me to come over to him. So...hesitantly I walk over to him.
He procedes to tell me that he has passed me a few times since I have moved into the apartment complex, and that every time I pass him I am "polite and courteous".
Then, what shocked me the most, was what came after that. I will paraphrase what the gentleman told me:
"I am 87 years old, and honestly probably don't have too much longer.
Now if I told you there was a hole in the ground right there, you would look down, and see that there was not a hole in the ground, and you wouldn't believe me. You would think I was crazy.
But, there could be a hole in the ground, if I believed in it. Anything in this world, if you believe in it, can be yours. You just have to believe it.
Look over at that car. If I asked you to push it, you would have a hard time doing it on your own. Now if I pointed to John, Joe, Mike, and told you to get their help, the task wouldn't be so difficult now would it. Don't be afraid to look for help. Help is there, all you have to do is look.
Every person in this world has a gift. A gift that will help them make money, that will help them survive in this world. Now there will be people that you will meet that will be lawyers or doctor's. People who have lots of money and fancy cars.
There will also be people who spend their lives wishing to be those people, while meanwhile they have their own gifts sitting right there, waiting to be put to use.
Your gift is kindness. You are kindhearted. You will find your calling. Do not spend your life looking at friends or others who are making money, more money than you.
If you strive for what you want it will be yours. I made the mistake of wishing to be one of those guys who had everything. I lost a lot of my life to wishing, when in truth I had everything.
Then one day my father sat me down before he passed away and told me what I told you. That was the day that changed my life."
He then proceeded to tell me that eventually I will find the "one" (not knowing that I already have), and that she will mean the world to me right off the bat.
Then he told me "No matter how things get, you won't ever lay a hand on her. You won't ever touch her. Don't be afraid about that, No matter what other people have done."
This stuck a real nerve...
My father was abusive, and my biggest fear in life is becoming him in any shape or form. I would never touch her, ever. Just struck a cord. Like he could see my fears or something, I don't know.
Then he told me, "Thanks for listening to an old man, a stranger, ramble on, most people wouldn't have. You have a good afternoon".
I told him to as well and turned around and went into the complex and up to my apartment.
I told my girlfriend the jist of the story, not even as much detail as I put here, and she said it was probably fate that had that man say those things to me ( she knows ive been stuggling to find a purpose in life...especially when I found out that I was more than likely going to die within a couple years. ((I got the surgery that saved my life. So no more worries on that. dont worry)). )
But I wasn't about to tell her that he struck a cord sooooo incredibly deep it's inexplainable.
Overall I feel better about life right now...just figured I would share what happened to me. Maybe some of you guys will take something away from it too, or maybe when you need something like that to happen to you it will.
The more I think about what he said to me, the more trivial everything I was frustrated about in my life seems. Even the busted up plexi from my mod just seems like a pile of plexi now...now that I sit and think about what he said. Just really impacted me, thats all. Hopefully I keep that with me, because sometimes i need something like that.
Just so weird. But I am also so grateful. What stranger does that. Thats like stuff out of a movie or something. Just like whoa.
*THIS HAPPENED TO ME TODAY, THIS AFTERNOON.*
~I know most of you will look at this as too long to read, but I just have to get what happened out. It is really making me think a lot about my life.~
For most of the day, I have brushed off my encounter from this afternoon like it was nothing. But the more I try not to think about it, the more I do.
I had just arrived home from a trip to Lowes. As I walk to the apartment complex entrance I pass an elderly black man with a rolling walker who is walking in the opposite direction. As per my usual, I said "Hello".
In passing, he replies "Hi, how are you today" and I reply "I am doing good, and how are you". This was just one of those polite quick in passing conversations, that most people simply do out of curtsy.
Apparently most people don't do that.
As I reach for the apartment complex door I hear "SON! Come here". As I turn around he is waving me to come over to him. So...hesitantly I walk over to him.
He procedes to tell me that he has passed me a few times since I have moved into the apartment complex, and that every time I pass him I am "polite and courteous".
Then, what shocked me the most, was what came after that. I will paraphrase what the gentleman told me:
"I am 87 years old, and honestly probably don't have too much longer.
Now if I told you there was a hole in the ground right there, you would look down, and see that there was not a hole in the ground, and you wouldn't believe me. You would think I was crazy.
But, there could be a hole in the ground, if I believed in it. Anything in this world, if you believe in it, can be yours. You just have to believe it.
Look over at that car. If I asked you to push it, you would have a hard time doing it on your own. Now if I pointed to John, Joe, Mike, and told you to get their help, the task wouldn't be so difficult now would it. Don't be afraid to look for help. Help is there, all you have to do is look.
Every person in this world has a gift. A gift that will help them make money, that will help them survive in this world. Now there will be people that you will meet that will be lawyers or doctor's. People who have lots of money and fancy cars.
There will also be people who spend their lives wishing to be those people, while meanwhile they have their own gifts sitting right there, waiting to be put to use.
Your gift is kindness. You are kindhearted. You will find your calling. Do not spend your life looking at friends or others who are making money, more money than you.
If you strive for what you want it will be yours. I made the mistake of wishing to be one of those guys who had everything. I lost a lot of my life to wishing, when in truth I had everything.
Then one day my father sat me down before he passed away and told me what I told you. That was the day that changed my life."
He then proceeded to tell me that eventually I will find the "one" (not knowing that I already have), and that she will mean the world to me right off the bat.
Then he told me "No matter how things get, you won't ever lay a hand on her. You won't ever touch her. Don't be afraid about that, No matter what other people have done."
This stuck a real nerve...
My father was abusive, and my biggest fear in life is becoming him in any shape or form. I would never touch her, ever. Just struck a cord. Like he could see my fears or something, I don't know.
Then he told me, "Thanks for listening to an old man, a stranger, ramble on, most people wouldn't have. You have a good afternoon".
I told him to as well and turned around and went into the complex and up to my apartment.
I told my girlfriend the jist of the story, not even as much detail as I put here, and she said it was probably fate that had that man say those things to me ( she knows ive been stuggling to find a purpose in life...especially when I found out that I was more than likely going to die within a couple years. ((I got the surgery that saved my life. So no more worries on that. dont worry)). )
But I wasn't about to tell her that he struck a cord sooooo incredibly deep it's inexplainable.
Overall I feel better about life right now...just figured I would share what happened to me. Maybe some of you guys will take something away from it too, or maybe when you need something like that to happen to you it will.
The more I think about what he said to me, the more trivial everything I was frustrated about in my life seems. Even the busted up plexi from my mod just seems like a pile of plexi now...now that I sit and think about what he said. Just really impacted me, thats all. Hopefully I keep that with me, because sometimes i need something like that.
Just so weird. But I am also so grateful. What stranger does that. Thats like stuff out of a movie or something. Just like whoa.