Truth

Crossing the Mississippi River again today. This time a man stands in near darkness holding a cardboard sign announcing "smile, it could be worse." Whoa, he's right. I make a u-turn, park, and run over to tell him that I agree. He reports that his wife is sick and needs cold medicine. He shares more details about their situation. Everyone has a story, especially those standing on corners with handmade billboards making pleas for assistance. I recall a similar circumstance years ago when a man needed two dollars for fuel. He later got on a bus and went to buy drugs. (I know because I followed him and got my money back.) Now, I open my wallet and give this man five dollars. I hug him too, sharing something worth more to me than to him. I head to my car but turn back and tell him to use the money for whatever he wants. Really, he says, my wife is sick. Really, I say, this doesn't matter. Do what you need to do. His sign was worth the stop, the smile, the pause.