“Do you mind if I sit and chat with you two? Maybe take some pictures?”
“Oh, we’re not homeless.”
“There’s no requirement to be.”
And that’s how Belvin, Mark and I met. In my life before the most recent phase, I remember taking steps like this on a more frequent basis. For someone with an unwavering sense of wanderlust, getting to know strangers is, simply put, satisfying.
It was fortunate that Belvin understood this mindset, and himself is a frequent conversationist at the park. Anyone who has taken this step, subconsciously or not, almost always walks away with one spectacular notion – that we all have at least one thing in common. It might be something as simple as loving the same color, but it’s the foundation of a bridge. Of course, sometimes, it’s more.
Belvin was a Merchant Marine, and when I asked him where his favorite place that he had been was, his answer was all too familiar: “Everywhere!” He said with an unmistakable excitement.
In that instance, it was as though every memory of someone asking me the same question popped up simultaneously. At first I would name one, then two, then on and on until I reached the same conclusion as Belvin. I’ll never forget the man in the park that loved to travel as much I.
Mark built houses. His quiet nature would suggest an otherwise neutral response to passion, but when he started talking about houses, it emanated from the depths of what this man loved to do.
Granted, love and passion does not always give us clear foresight; but this is, perhaps, a concept that we are universally, and indiscriminately, more aware of than before. . .
Mark worked until he physically couldn’t, and as he sat quietly through most of the conversation, his eyes wandered in memory of the years that he built those great effing houses. I’ll never forget the man in the park that wasn’t angry about the way that things turned out.
Art is a shapeshifter, anything from pencil on paper to getting to know you. Our entire conversation would have been different if I’d approached with anxiety or fear. “People love to be afraid of nothing” Belvin remarked.
There is always room to wonder if people, strangers, are telling the truth; but, compassion can always be built from closing the gap between stranger and acquaintance.