So a remarkable thing happened to me yesterday. As I was heading to a band practice with my friends, we came upon this man who I believed instinctively of questionable trustworthiness.
He somewhat ambled around us, and being the sheltered white suburban kid I am, I began to panic somewhat. Let’s just get the elephant out of this room/blog post; he was black. I, in my ignorance and my stereotype-programmed brain, immediately questioned this man’s purpose from the very get-go. And why?
Because he was of a different race than me?
Weak. Cowardly. I don’t mean to beat myself up. We all think these things, I’m not saying that I’m the only person in the world with racist views. And this post is not supposed to be a self-imposed berating to preach some gospel of acceptance (okay, maybe it is a little bit). But that is not what makes this story extraordinary.
Oh yes, friends, the best is yet to come.
So this man approaches me and my two friends, and he asks for a minute of our time. Somewhat cornered, I oblige.
He continues to us, and I am roughly paraphrasing, “Hello there, I’m from the South Side of Chicago, and I’m in town to visit my Nana at the hospital, and my car broke down. Can I have ten dollars? She’s very sick and I need to visit her. I swear, I’m not a drug dealer, I just need ten dollars so I can see her before she passes away.”
So the thought passed through my head. Is this guy pulling our legs? Why on earth should I believe you?
My one friend gracefully dodges the question: “I’m sorry, I don’t have any cash on me. I wish I could help.”
My other friend refuses to make eye contact.
I, under pressure, do the first thing that comes to my head. I give him ten dollars.
Immediately, I start kicking myself. I totally just got conned. How feeble. Way to be a sucker. But this guy looks me in the eye, and says, very sincerely, “God bless you, sir.”
I stop, floored somewhat. This look in this man’s eye is not one of insincerity. In fact, the look he gave me was perhaps one of the most genuine exchanges I have yet experienced.
So, I think, maybe, I was wrong. I think he was dead serious. And maybe I actually helped a stranger. Maybe not. Maybe I did get played. But that’s not even what this blog post is about.
And for those of you who may think that this is just some cheap attempt at promoting myself as some kind benefactor to strangers, remember this. I’m also prejudiced and I have issues I need to work on.
Humble pie served.
We as people spend too much time worrying about whether or not we’re being screwed. But who really cares? So what if we give to strangers? This man was my reminder that we need to have more faith in our fellow man. I think he is extraordinary because he humbled himself. And this post is for him. Thank you, anonymous man.
Filed under good deeds kindness money extraordinary
This bit is about a girl who I work with. Her name is Katie, and not only does she work with me as a server at a country club (no easy feat, I can tell you), but she also works with students with disabilities in a high school. She is one of the hardest working people I know, and I want to celebrate her efforts.
Of late, she has seemed sad. I’m not totally sure why, but I suspect she is tired from running from job to job. What once I saw as a little spark in her eyes has faded some, and it saddens me to see the spirit in her life dwindle as it has.
She, however, tries to remain positive. I stole her facebook status as a title. She’s just great, and I admire her drive to do be her best self. This one’s for you, Katie. It takes a special type of person to do the work you do.
Katie is a prime example of an ordinary person leading an extraordinary life. You don’t have to move mountains to be extraordinary. All it takes is heart and drive. Katie has plenty of both.
Filed under new year's resolution hope extraordinary
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 03:14AM
I’ve always hated blogs. For some reason or other, I have always found them overrated, masturbatory, simply self-indulgent media for very self-involved people. But as of late, I have found it increasingly difficult to sleep. So tonight (or rather, this early morning), for no reason other than sheer spontanaity, I have decided to start my own. Why, I’m not really certain. Perhaps I’ll delete it tomorrow. Who knows? In any case, here I am, and here you are.
So, what to say. I could bitch about how crappy my love life is. I could gossip about how nude photos leaked of some celebrity and demean them for how dumb or slutty they are. I could snarkily make crude comments about my fellow peers under the sly guise of anonimity.
But that, in my opinion, is a waste of my time. And yours. The world has enough of that. I wish to start a blog celebrating what is right about people. These days, everything moves faster, technology is stripping us of our personalities, and it’s getting harder and harder to appreciate the little moments where humanity shines through: a cashier lends you 17 cents you fell shy of while buying your Twix bar, somebody took the time to hold a door for you because your hands are full, or even most extraordinariy, someone has the courage to stick up for another.
Yes, friends. These ordinary miracles happen everyday. Many would say that they are not especially noteworthy or significant, but I am here to say that these indeed are the things we need to celebrate these days. I am here to honor these ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It may not stick, maybe I’ll be the only one who reads this page’s content, but I am a voice reminding the world that people are capable of doing great things. And I am now here to document it.
Filed under extraordinary
