livin' the good

we picked him up at the train station last nite.
josh was returning from his search for good tour.

he told stories all the way home.

i listened. laughed at some, choked up at others.
and was amazed thru all of them.

he divided the trip up into two weekends.
and chose to do the southern stretch last.
they're friendlier down that way and he knew it'd be way fun
and a good one to end on.

altho he's not quite done.
he winds it all up with some kinda show at an elementary school tomorrow.
the kids adore him. and he'll be talking to them about searching for good.
when i think of that i just love him so much.

his stories were packed with people he met along the way.
i mean, that was the point.
but nobody meets people like josh meets people.

he talked of the cabbies, the security guards, the vet with 4 purple hearts,
the old world war II vet, the kid with the oxygen tank, the homeless woman
he had pizza with...on and on these stories go.

he was out searchin' for the good in the world.
and yeah, he knew he was tryin' to do good himself - playing in vet homes
and children's hospitals. he knew that.

but what he doesn't know is the good he brings along every bit of the way
whether he's searchin' or not.
in the cabs, trains, hotels, street corners....everywhere he went.
maybe the stop to the children's hospital was intentional, but his brightening kids'
lives is something he does without thinking. eating pizza with the homeless woman
wasn't new for him. it's not something he did cause he was sposed to. he's
done that stuff before. he knows the names of the security guards in both grocery
stores he frequents, and by talking with them and getting to know them, discovered
they were related. he remembers the names of people he's met once while wandering
somewhere and if he bumps into them again, he remembers them.

i really don't think he quite gets how his outlook affects the world.

i'm really not sure that's something any of us get.

what we bring with each and every thing we do, affects the world.
each and everything we do.
are the strangers out there friends just waiting to be met?
are we there to stop and listen and help when needed?
do we slow down and give someone the time who could really use it?
do we smile as we travel and say hello?
do we ask someone else their story and actually hear it and remember it?

little things?
maybe.
but listening to josh's weekend, watching how josh lives,  i just don't think so.