Lessons and Lindell

Today I am in Washington DC and feeling down about the news from the family here, Raul, His mother, Anthony and his niece, Mary, Aaron and Socks, and others that are going through hardship. My bags were lost in Chicago and ended up in Baltimore so I have to drive there tonight to get them. Having basically a lousy day but still better than most I realize. So I decide to do something I never do, I go to get some "fast" food...I stop at Wendy's.

Now the neighborhood is not only pretty "rough" but pretty populated with homeless people and......a bit intimidating. I always thought of myself as of an open mind and a giving guy but I give more almost exclusively in the form of "structured" donations, giving to organizations and such. I NEVER give money to people on the street.......

So I am eating my food and I look outside and an older rail think black gentleman (I am Causcasian in a primarily black neighborhood) that weighs maybe a buck fifty soaking wet, is counting pennies, nickles and dimes. I see that he is almost tearing and the look on his face for some reason touched me today (and I am not exactly a "softie"). So you understand my mindset and the situation, being it has been a challenging day I decide that I will break my rule and give this guy some money, I figure what the hell, if he uses it for alcohol ..... then today.....so what.

So I offer this guy ten dollars and he says "thank you" but "I only need $1.35 but I would really appreciate that". Naturally I ask him why $1.35? He told me that he lives on the street in the neighborhood and he needs a $1.35 for bus fair to get to the temporary labor yard tomorrow. I am intrigued by this guy and his pride despite being on the streets. So I tell him it would be my honor to buy him something to eat and I am in no hurry, and he reluctantly accepts. So we go in and he orders some food and we sit and talk...a bit weird since I am the only white guy in the place sitting with a homeless black man. I also have this built in stereotype and he proceeds to blow me away.

Lindell is his name and he is from New Haven, Connecticut. He has two daughters, is a Vietnam veteran (which Ron (Gafinfan) can tell you I have a soft spot for veterans) and worked in a plant in New Haven until two years ago. His wife died, he lost his job, and probably had a lot more loss in his life that he did not share. Now being the hard head I am, I am thinking this guy might be full of crap. During the conversation this man that had basically his possessions in a bag proceeds to pull out pictures of his daughters, his wife and of him in Vietnam and I can tell that those are his most prized possessions. He proceeds to talk to me about faith, family, politics, and a few other subjects including after my bags getting lost and my dislike of flying ........statistics about travel of all things...........

So Lindell thanks me profusely and tells me "may god bless all your days". We part company with the most meaningful heart felt handshake I have ever gotten including in any boardroom I have ever been in. I put $20 in Lindells pocket and he tries like heck to get me to take it back and I tell him he does not have to worry about bus fair for a while.

I am not sure why I am telling this story other than it is so out of character for me (and probably some others amoung us) and this skinny black homeless man just blew away all of my sterotypes and has me really thinking about priorities and the importance we (ME) put in our lives. Here is a man with nothing and not to be "sentimental" or whatever the right word is, he has his faith, hope, memories and pride. the guy taught me a heck of a lot in 45 minuets..........and I thought I was just getting a damn chicken samitch......just wanted to share and thought it might make us think a bit individually................................a very strange encounter............

 

Thanks guys but honestly I have much more to thank Lindell for. I may have done something "nice" that will last a finite time, but Lindell gave me something for life.