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I've experienced quite a bit since I began my adventure in Washington DC just over a week ago. I have experienced a memorial concert on the Capitol lawn with Colin Powell. I was privileged enough to spend the morning of Memorial Day at Arlington Cemetery with some of those that were the greatest of American Heroes. I've been to landmarks, had sushi with new friends, touched base with old ones, converted my roommate to macs! I found a very cool church, (thanks to Jon Kelley), and have an internship that is the opportunity of a life time. And yet, with all this, it was a 10 minute situation that occurred today that has impacted me more than the sum total of the rest.
I was leaving breakfast today, as I do every Sunday after church, (or at least for the past two weeks and I walked by a gentleman who was asking for some change for a metro pass. My initial reaction was that of most people, I patted my pant pocket and simply stated "Sorry, no change." However, I couldn't got on. I stopped opened my wallet, hoping to find a dollar I could give this gentleman who was obviously in need of a kind gesture. When I couldn't find any small bills, and of course I wasn't going to give him a five (because we all know that "they" do with the money anyways) I again told him I was sorry, and put my wallet away. He took a step forward and asked if I could possibly buy him some coffee. I responded "definitely."
As he grabbed his belongings I noticed he had a old cassette boom box, so I asked him about it. He told me that he had experienced a difficult life, "seen how poor people live, and not like most people have seen, but REALLY POOR." He then went on to tell me about his dream, he want to buy some batteries and some cassettes and begin a audio journal of the experiences he has each day, the people he encounters, ultimately the life he lives. Once he gathers enough audio, we wants to gather enough money to have it transcribed. "240 pages worth, that'll make for a good amount. Then I'm gonna run as fast as I can to a publisher and have it printed."
What's interesting is that as I listened to the man I just met tell me about his vision or dream, I couldn't help but recall more fortunate people with smaller, less detailed dreams.
I went on to offer him some breakfast, he ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. I couldn't help but notice the look of the employee as we waited for the biscuit to be prepared, initially it was disgust then then he looked perplexed.
As we were checking out the gentleman asked if he could grab a yogurt parfait. "It's healthy, keep me going strong," he said. I couldn't help but smile.
As we walked to his table, I shook his hand and told him, "God Bless." He grasped my hand and said the same. As I left the gentleman there to eat his breakfast and walked to the metro, I my mind raced back to two separate instances. The first, was a documentary I had seen not to long ago. It was of the Invisible Children in Uganda, and ended with one of the children asking that their story not be forgotten. The second was of my friend Emily who traveled to Africa last summer to help terminal AIDS patients. I recall her telling me about the pictures she had taken and how she relives the experience and the memories of that time, and how they spur her on... For some reason I had my camera with me, so I ran back to the gentleman and asked if I could take a picture with him... "So I won't forget this morning," I said. "If you promise to send me a copy," he replied. And so we took our picture. After the picture, he told me he made a face, because in studying portraits, one should try to convey how they feel in side.
His name is Arthur Callum. If anyone comes across this and one day you feel like you've had a rough day, I encourage you to write Arthur, he can receive mail at the following address:
Arthur Callum c/o Beans and Bread Outreach Center
402 S. Bond St. Baltimore, MD 21201
RECAP
What if everyday, we attempted to do just one thing that perplexed those around us?
What if for one moment each day, we stopped thinking and started acting?
What if for one moment each day, we took all of our talk about human worth and dignity, about equality, love, kindness, and creating a more "decent" world... and what if for one moment, we put it into practice?
I was leaving breakfast today, as I do every Sunday after church, (or at least for the past two weeks and I walked by a gentleman who was asking for some change for a metro pass. My initial reaction was that of most people, I patted my pant pocket and simply stated "Sorry, no change." However, I couldn't got on. I stopped opened my wallet, hoping to find a dollar I could give this gentleman who was obviously in need of a kind gesture. When I couldn't find any small bills, and of course I wasn't going to give him a five (because we all know that "they" do with the money anyways) I again told him I was sorry, and put my wallet away. He took a step forward and asked if I could possibly buy him some coffee. I responded "definitely."
As he grabbed his belongings I noticed he had a old cassette boom box, so I asked him about it. He told me that he had experienced a difficult life, "seen how poor people live, and not like most people have seen, but REALLY POOR." He then went on to tell me about his dream, he want to buy some batteries and some cassettes and begin a audio journal of the experiences he has each day, the people he encounters, ultimately the life he lives. Once he gathers enough audio, we wants to gather enough money to have it transcribed. "240 pages worth, that'll make for a good amount. Then I'm gonna run as fast as I can to a publisher and have it printed."
What's interesting is that as I listened to the man I just met tell me about his vision or dream, I couldn't help but recall more fortunate people with smaller, less detailed dreams.
I went on to offer him some breakfast, he ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. I couldn't help but notice the look of the employee as we waited for the biscuit to be prepared, initially it was disgust then then he looked perplexed.
As we were checking out the gentleman asked if he could grab a yogurt parfait. "It's healthy, keep me going strong," he said. I couldn't help but smile.
As we walked to his table, I shook his hand and told him, "God Bless." He grasped my hand and said the same. As I left the gentleman there to eat his breakfast and walked to the metro, I my mind raced back to two separate instances. The first, was a documentary I had seen not to long ago. It was of the Invisible Children in Uganda, and ended with one of the children asking that their story not be forgotten. The second was of my friend Emily who traveled to Africa last summer to help terminal AIDS patients. I recall her telling me about the pictures she had taken and how she relives the experience and the memories of that time, and how they spur her on... For some reason I had my camera with me, so I ran back to the gentleman and asked if I could take a picture with him... "So I won't forget this morning," I said. "If you promise to send me a copy," he replied. And so we took our picture. After the picture, he told me he made a face, because in studying portraits, one should try to convey how they feel in side.
His name is Arthur Callum. If anyone comes across this and one day you feel like you've had a rough day, I encourage you to write Arthur, he can receive mail at the following address:
Arthur Callum c/o Beans and Bread Outreach Center
402 S. Bond St. Baltimore, MD 21201
RECAP
What if everyday, we attempted to do just one thing that perplexed those around us?
What if for one moment each day, we stopped thinking and started acting?
What if for one moment each day, we took all of our talk about human worth and dignity, about equality, love, kindness, and creating a more "decent" world... and what if for one moment, we put it into practice?
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