David, along with Alton, just received an amazing lesson in life, in the most unlikely of circumstances.
So, there we were, standing outside St. Pancras Station in London, waiting for a cab because it was raining very hard (yes, consultants melt in the rain!). A man walked up (soaked by the deluge) and in a beautifully polite way, with a beaming smile, asked if we could spare some change to help him find some accommodation. We did. He thanked us and I chanced to ask him where his amazing accent had developed. It turned out he was born and raised in California and various twists of fate had landed him homeless on the streets of London. As he told us his story he was laughing and smiling the whole way through. I couldn’t resist asking him how he kept smiling. He laughed even louder and said, “My friends, every moment of my life is an epic adventure!” He wished us luck, thanked us again and walked away into the pouring rain. Gulp. Silence. Gulp. Expletive. Silence. Wow!
I have noticed that most people look down to the floor, or their devices, and shuffle along when approached with the words, “Can you spare some change please?” I never do. Nor do my Rambutan colleagues… it just feels wrong to deny someone a few coins whatever they choose to do with them or whatever the local ‘rules’ are about not giving to beggars. Today, for the cost of a hot drink, I learned more from the man from California than I learned in the last few books I have read. If Alton and I had looked down (metaphorically and physically), we would never have learned to take the challenge of making everyday life, even mundane routines, feel like they‘re part of an epic adventure.
Try it yourself. Stick your hand in your pocket for those who have been dealt far worse hands than you. It’s the right thing to do and you never know what you might learn!
