Lonliness...

If you ever find yourself at Mill Avenue at 8 in the morning, pause a while. And if a tall, slightly stooping old gentleman walks up to you, don’t walk away or pretend not to see him. He isn't the regular homeless, drunk Navajo. He is harmless; all he does is hand you a toffee, take your hand in his own soft, gnarled ones and bless you.

I don’t know who he is or why he does what he does. Perhaps he has a grandchild halfway across the globe whom he hasn’t met for ages. This may be his way of reaching out to him. Perhaps he does it out of the goodness of his heart. Or maybe he’s just lonely and wants a little love, a little affection. Perhaps he is just yearning for some human touch.

Loneliness is a terrible thing; in this cold world, we often forget our humanity and ability to love. People flock to big cities teeming with multitudes, just to ease the loneliness they find in their hearts. But as night falls they find themselves alone and scared, desperately seeking affection. Even though all of us are surrounded by a loving family and caring friends, don’t we also feel a pang of utter loneliness sometimes?

In a world filled with hatred and conflict, this old gentleman goes out of his way to spread a little joy. I don’t know what his name is or where he lives. I don’t know whose grandfather he is, or what his dreams were. All I know is, that in a world so out of touch with itself, he reminds us of our humanity. If you ever do meet him, give him a smile and ask him how he is. I’m sure it will make his day.

So go on, make an effort to connect with people. At least, get to know your loved ones again. If you do, there may be a little less loneliness in the world tonight.