Life is full of them - bright moments of unexpected joy, and hours of sadness and pain.
Maybe I needed to be reminded that both exist for a reason. They force us to grow, to learn about compassion, and to find the endurance to stay the course no matter how complicated the journey.
It was a stormy afternoon and I had taken shelter in a coffee shop. Steaming pumpkin latte in front of me, I watched a blind man and his beautiful, yellow labrador arrive. Just as I was about to go to him to assist with the condiments for his coffee, I noticed he held the items close to his face, and chose the ones he needed. Fate must have left him with a little sight and I was grateful I noticed before I offered my help.
Perhaps fate also sensed I could use a friend at the moment because she chose to make the seat across from mine the only one available and I offered it to him as he passed by. He removed his sunglasses as he sat down and thanked me for the invitation. Under the table, his dog laid close enough to me that I could have reached down and touched him, but I knew the rules - no touching a working dog.
The following thirty minutes flew as we exchanged casual pleasantries - I, asking him about his life with a seeing-eye dog and he graciously answering the questions I had always wanted to ask of someone in his circumstance.
He was a handsome, middle-aged man with hair the color of a white, puffy cloud and dressed impeccably like a mannequin you might see in the men's department at Macys. He was intelligent, joyful, and gracious. And oh, how he loved that dog! Her name was Jolly. He periodically reached down and stroked her as we talked. His eyes filled with tears when he mentioned his previous companion dog who had retired due to age. He mentioned that most strangers were very kind, helpful and accommodating to him. I was touched by his enthusiastic spirit and gratitude for what he called, "his abundance of blessings."
When the time arrived for us both to depart, I tried to express how much our chat had meant to me. I left realizing I would probably never see him again, but encouraged with absolutely certainty that I was a better person for having met him.
As for my encounter with sadness - well, I read a post yesterday that suggested family matters should probably not be aired on social media. In accordance with that sentiment, I will lick my wounds in private.
between the lines,
me
BETWEEN THE LINES
