jerry.
tonight i sang at a lovely wedding. a friend of mine got married and it's always nice to be around such positive, loving energy whether i know the couple or not.
per usual i'm typically starving after singing as i don't like to eat right before singing (old nervous habit i suppose, even though i rarely have nerves for weddings anymore...). post wedding, i whipped into the lot of my old sandwich joint and already knew my order.
upon entering the building, i was approached by a man in his 60's asking for money for his laundry detergent and some other items. "excuse me, mam. you don't have to be afraid of me, i just need a minute" he said as i pulled off my sunglasses, clad in my high heels and black dress. he proceeded to tell me why he needed a few dollars for this and that. it sounded lame and i didn't buy it. the honest answer i gave him was i didn't have cash on me.
a few seconds passed and as i opened the door some words tumbled out of my mouth without even realizing- "i'll buy you a sandwich if you want." he agreed. i didn't know if he was hungry or not and although he was missing some teeth, his clothes were a little worn, but looked ok hunger wise. i'm not sure why the spirit moved me to buy this guy a sandwich or if it's because i'm vince's daughter and he does things like this, but in we walked.
together.
my new acquaintance friend ordered the turkey club.
i couldn't help but notice he was getting awfully picky and telling the lady she made the wrong sandwich. (which turns out she did).
i found myself getting a little irked that he wasn't being polite enough after i offered to buy him dinner. judgemental thoughts started filling my head.
right before his sandwich was ready he quizzed me on his name:
"jerry" i replied.
he looked surprised and happy "you didn't forget!" he said.
somehow in that comment, something dawned on me, just then -
something i have to remind myself daily working in the non profit world.
not everyone is born into the same amount of privilege as i.
not everyone has been taught the same set of life skills or manners as i.
people want to be treated with respect and for some reason the fact that i remembered he was in fact, jerry, broke down a wall.
he thanked me and we wished each other a good evening.
i waved goodbye as i drove off in my focus as he waited for the next bus.
...
in time's of despair focusing on the positive can go a long way.
and lately, with all negativity in the news, i chose to remove myself from the massive coverage and focus on the good in the world. there's always going to be bad, heartache and sadness around us, but there's still plenty of good in the world.
jerry was my little reminder to keep an empathic heart, focus on the positive and grow goodness.
per usual i'm typically starving after singing as i don't like to eat right before singing (old nervous habit i suppose, even though i rarely have nerves for weddings anymore...). post wedding, i whipped into the lot of my old sandwich joint and already knew my order.
upon entering the building, i was approached by a man in his 60's asking for money for his laundry detergent and some other items. "excuse me, mam. you don't have to be afraid of me, i just need a minute" he said as i pulled off my sunglasses, clad in my high heels and black dress. he proceeded to tell me why he needed a few dollars for this and that. it sounded lame and i didn't buy it. the honest answer i gave him was i didn't have cash on me.
a few seconds passed and as i opened the door some words tumbled out of my mouth without even realizing- "i'll buy you a sandwich if you want." he agreed. i didn't know if he was hungry or not and although he was missing some teeth, his clothes were a little worn, but looked ok hunger wise. i'm not sure why the spirit moved me to buy this guy a sandwich or if it's because i'm vince's daughter and he does things like this, but in we walked.
together.
my new acquaintance friend ordered the turkey club.
i couldn't help but notice he was getting awfully picky and telling the lady she made the wrong sandwich. (which turns out she did).
i found myself getting a little irked that he wasn't being polite enough after i offered to buy him dinner. judgemental thoughts started filling my head.
right before his sandwich was ready he quizzed me on his name:
"jerry" i replied.
he looked surprised and happy "you didn't forget!" he said.
somehow in that comment, something dawned on me, just then -
something i have to remind myself daily working in the non profit world.
not everyone is born into the same amount of privilege as i.
not everyone has been taught the same set of life skills or manners as i.
people want to be treated with respect and for some reason the fact that i remembered he was in fact, jerry, broke down a wall.
he thanked me and we wished each other a good evening.
i waved goodbye as i drove off in my focus as he waited for the next bus.
...
in time's of despair focusing on the positive can go a long way.
and lately, with all negativity in the news, i chose to remove myself from the massive coverage and focus on the good in the world. there's always going to be bad, heartache and sadness around us, but there's still plenty of good in the world.
jerry was my little reminder to keep an empathic heart, focus on the positive and grow goodness.
Comments
What a revelation.