There is a man I pass every day on my way to work. His job is to give away newspapers, or rather to get the commuters passing him by to take one. Under the category of "nothing is ever easy" he is in direct competition with another man at the same metro stop giving away a competing paper. Making the man I am writing about job harder, is that the newspaper he is giving away has a conservative, dare I say Republican slant, and my neighborhood is decidedly liberal. He does this in all kinds of weather conditions. These days have been brutally hot and standing in the direct sun he is often drenched in sweat by 8:30 in the morning.
By now you understand that he has a very difficult job and yet I can say with confidence that he gives away at least half of the papers taken at that stop, more than his fair share including one each day to myself. How does he do it you wonder? This man, and I am ashamed to admit that I do not know his name, says the best good morning I have ever heard. It makes one, me, happy to hear it. He is speaking but it comes out more like a song. "Good Morning!" he sings. "I am happy to see you! Have a good day!" emphasis on good. That is his basic patter, but it seems to come from such a deep, heartfelt place that you cannot fail to notice it and feel lifted up.
His generosity of human spirit is not limited to the regulars who take his paper, but is applied evenly to each person who walks by. The feeling he conveys does not seem attached to whether or not you take his paper nor does it seem to contain any trace of fear of being outdone by the competition. "Thank you!" he says when you take his paper "have a good day!" To me, he embodies the best of the Buddhist principle of non-grasping which sometimes can be confused with dull lifelessness. The happiness he puts out into the world seems unattached to his receipt of a particular response or recognition. Sometimes I read books about Eastern thought and religion. One talked about an eternal fountain of happiness and contentment, a veritable well contained deep inside each of us that we might all reach and tap into with only the right mindful meditation. I do not know what path has led this man to this job. I am fairly certain it does not pay very much or come with many benefits. And yet, I believe he has discovered his fountain.
By now you understand that he has a very difficult job and yet I can say with confidence that he gives away at least half of the papers taken at that stop, more than his fair share including one each day to myself. How does he do it you wonder? This man, and I am ashamed to admit that I do not know his name, says the best good morning I have ever heard. It makes one, me, happy to hear it. He is speaking but it comes out more like a song. "Good Morning!" he sings. "I am happy to see you! Have a good day!" emphasis on good. That is his basic patter, but it seems to come from such a deep, heartfelt place that you cannot fail to notice it and feel lifted up.
His generosity of human spirit is not limited to the regulars who take his paper, but is applied evenly to each person who walks by. The feeling he conveys does not seem attached to whether or not you take his paper nor does it seem to contain any trace of fear of being outdone by the competition. "Thank you!" he says when you take his paper "have a good day!" To me, he embodies the best of the Buddhist principle of non-grasping which sometimes can be confused with dull lifelessness. The happiness he puts out into the world seems unattached to his receipt of a particular response or recognition. Sometimes I read books about Eastern thought and religion. One talked about an eternal fountain of happiness and contentment, a veritable well contained deep inside each of us that we might all reach and tap into with only the right mindful meditation. I do not know what path has led this man to this job. I am fairly certain it does not pay very much or come with many benefits. And yet, I believe he has discovered his fountain.
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