I really enjoy visiting New York City. I do things there that I don’t do anywhere else.
Mostly, I walk. I’m kinda like Forrest Gump when he ran cross country. I keep walking and walking and walking, only breaking for red lights and an occasional homeless man exchange.
I talk to homeless people, another departure from everywhere else, where I tend to avoid them or pretend to talk on the cell. When I used to live in Manhattan, cell phones did not exist, meaning I had to talk to myself as my homeless avoidance ploy. I wanted them to think I was too crazy to approach.
I had one of my more lengthy and meaningful conversations with a man who obviously lived on the streets. We mostly talked about his frustration over the length of time it took them to come out with a film about Jimmy Hendrix, and how he was looking forward to its release next month.
One thing my ex-wife accuses me of is trying to fix feelings, and this was another example of that in my conversations with this stranger. I attempted to mitigate his resentment, which I was perceiving as him thinking race played a part in the delay of the Hendrix-bio pic.
I told him that it usually takes time to come out w movies about legends, and pointed out the 30plus years it took for an RFK and JFK film. Also, Ray Charles was still alive while they began filming “Ray,” which I was throwing in to make the point that perhaps racism was not a play here.
Whatever the case, I was mildly glad I took the time to look at a fellow human being in the eye and speak to him with an open heart.
Usually I do all I can to side step folks who might want something from me. Upon further review, I realize I am doing so with the assumption that they do desire something I may or may not have.
The bottom line is I have the power to say yes or no to a request for money, so why do I put so much energy into diversions or resentments?
This guy walked away without asking for a dime from me, showing me that simple listening is worth more than spare change.
