I think, within the last 283 days, I wrote another blog post about this:
We never know how we affect people
However, I can’t locate that post right now.
But that’s not really important. Here’s what I wanted to write about, today.
Many years ago, I was driving alone at night, feeling low and discouraged about something.
I can’t remember what the hell I was feeling bad about, now. (Isn’t that usually the way it works? Problems that seem so important at the time often fade away, as time passes, to nothing.)
I remember I was about to exit a supermarket parking lot, and I was waiting for a pedestrian to walk by.
I remember that pedestrian, quite well. I wish I had a picture of him that I could share with you.
But I don’t.
Let’s see if I can capture and convey the experience to you.
I think the guy was wearing something unusual. I don’t have a great visual memory, so I can’t tell you what kind of clothing he had. But I think it was casual. Maybe it was colorful.
He wasn’t a serious, conventional business person. I know that. He looked like a “free spirit.” Again, my visual memory, for details, is fuzzy.
Here’s what I do remember clearly. As he crossed in front of my car, he caught my eye.
And without missing a beat, he made a “Ta-Da!” gesture. That is, he stopped, smiled, put his arms out, and maybe even jumped a little, as if he was hearing, or making, a silent, triumphant trumpet noise.
.
(Just for fun, I’m going to Google-Image “Ta Da Pose” and see what I get. Amazing! Here’s the first thing that comes up:
Here’s another one, with eye contact:
)
That night, after the guy struck that Ta Da Pose ever-so-briefly, he moved on.
I remember smiling back, then. Maybe I even laughed a little. (I’m not sure, because I was, after all, feeling very down.)
But I do remember this: I drove away, after this brief encounter, feeling changed. Feeling better.
And to this day, when I am walking down the street, feeling and showing joy, I often think about that guy I met, many years ago.
He made a difference to me.
And who knows? Maybe I sometimes make a difference like that, too.
Thanks to that guy, Endorphin Dude, pose-strikers everywhere, and to you, of course, for reading today.
