july 8: pam, actor

i met pam in union square, where i watched the most beautiful interchange happen-  she stopped to look at necklaces that a guy was selling and told him, "i don't have much.  i am an actor here in the city.  can you give me a deal on one of these?"  to which he replied, "i understand, i don't have much either.."

and then they went on to talk about exchanging a few dollars for a necklace, which is when, somehow, she picked up on the fact that he living out of a van and was hungry.  without hesitation, she handed over a whole bag of leftover sandwiches that she was given to take home from a restaurant that she works at.  he took one, and then shared them, also without hesitation, to some other hungry people nearby.

i sat there utterly stunned that this kind of altruism existed, especially among people who have so little themselves.  but maybe that is why it exists, and how it is so plain to see --- they "get it" and can see so clearly the needs of those around them because, perhaps, they have also been there before.

i was impressed, and left the square wanting to be kinder, more generous, and more aware of what is going on right around me.

i spoke with pam after this all happened, and asked if i could write about her on my blog.  she was kind and gracious, and almost immediately offered up a sound piece of wisdom:

"don't mistake the path for what is really important in life - the people you meet along the way. you don't know how your life is going to change or how you're going to change the life of others."

brilliant.