Smiling back…
One of those signature moments that makes every day such a beautiful day. Early morning during my 5 mile run on Alpharetta sidewalks, climbing up a small hill, I saw a very young kid – the boy could not have been more than four years old – holding his mom’s hand and walking along. Most likely to the Kids and Kids half a mile down the road.
As I approached them, I was trying to be mindful not to startle them from behind. The kid (who by the way, had his head clean shaven like me) heard me, looked back and his eyes were fixated on my bright neon orange shoes 🙂 And just as I passed him, he looked up to me and gave me one of those beatific smile only blissful kids unmindful of their parents’ “Stranger Danger” advise can give. And then wrested his hand out of his mom’s clutch and waved at me.
That was a very powerful moment.
By this time, I was just passing him. I raised my hand and waved back. He could not see me – but I smiled back to him too.
For the rest of the run, I mentally kicked myself for not turning back and showing the kid that I was smiling too. I guess I did not want to be weird to the lady. Or maybe I was too much into the running and missed the enormity of the moment. Regardless, the kid deserved better from an adult.
And that was my lesson for the day – in runs, as in life, we start from different points and end at different points. The line between those points – or the speed at which we traverse the line – does not define us. What defines us are the intersection points with others’ lines. For, it is in those intersection points that life offers us the opportunities to acknowledge each other’s journey, celebrate each other’s presence and make a difference to each other’s lines.
And that journey is what it is all about.
That is why we live. That is why we run.
The journey and how we acknowledge each other. Great lesson to notice
Profound Thoughts – i fully agree!!!!
“Stranger danger” advice ta jedin bujhtey parbe sedin ar toke haath wave korbe na. Setakey bodhhoi boro howa boley. Ei power tokhon thakbey na. BTW katha bolli na keno?
What a nice reflection!
Always stop to smell the roses! Or wave to lil kids :-). Lesson taken…. Wish when desperately needed, it alludes most immortals 🙂
Getting very deep dude .. but nice. Your ruminations make my day.
Very nice
Ahhh… another story another day…. Think I am going to start keeping your musings in a journal to send to your daughters one day.
Absolutely Rajib
Paulo Coelho (mostly from the Zahir) states that relationships are like railway lines, you come close but never actually meet. You come close assume attitudes (likes and dislikes, love and hatred etc) based on your own biases but you are not there only your own assumptions are present..
The moment so eloquently captured; the reflections too.
loved reading it…nice reflection:)
Another good lesson to learn; beautifully expressed.
Wonderful Rajib. I must say you very eloquently expressed your observations. And I do agree with all of it. Not too sure if I ever did make a difference or even try to do it, but I have always tried to make their presence in the points be important and have let them know of it.
Very well said Rajib! So true…I am touched by this posting.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Do you have any idea how much you validated the young boy simply by reciprocating the waving gesture? Adults often treat younger people with a callous disregard. This is the behaviour they learn and then we wonder why they grow up and treat us with disregard. Anyway, without getting too cat-in-the-cradle about it, I can assure you that the lad is probably still on cloud nine, thinking about the guy who acknowledged his existence long enough to return his simple greeting
Great lesson for all of us. Kids place such a high value when an adult listens to them.