the boys on the corner

I judged them immediately.  I saw them standing on the corner while I was stopped at a red light, and within 5 seconds I "knew" their story- not their history, but who they were.  Their age, their clothing, the fact that they were standing there on the corner- I've seen the likes of them before.  And they had a dog, as they typically do. A beautiful, calm puppy, standing loyally by his master's side.  I knew them.  I didn't think poorly of them, nor did I feel bad for them.  I've seen many of them before.  These aren't the older vets or the moms with signs looking for money to feed their kids.  These are the young 20-30 somethings, who never seem to be alone.  They sit on the streets around the corner from my apartment, sometimes smoking, sometimes just in a group chatting.  Often with a dog, they will sometimes ask me for spare change.  If I have food I'll offer, but today I had nothing but my judgement.  One of the two guys crossed in front of my car.  At first I thought he was going to receive an offering from one of the cars. Then, I noticed another much more weathered man sitting on the grassy median, holding a sign.  Was the boy going to set up camp on the median but then noticed this older man?  I was curiously watching as the boy stopped midway between the 3 Lane highway and called back to his friend, "hey, throw me another!"

I only realized then what was going on-  when i originally wrote their story, I hadn't noticed the case of water on the street corner.  Whatever their own story really is, this day, while I sat for just a few short moments at the red light, I was lucky enough to witness this incredibly beautiful act of human kindness.  The boys were delivering a bottle of water to the old man on the median, but when the kid noticed that a dog sat at this man's side, he called to his friend for another bottle so that both this man and his puppy could drink.

As the light turned green, the boy joined his friend and the two walked off with their water and their puppy, while I drove off, the moment replaying again and again in my head.  I didn't feel bad for judging the boys- again, I didn't do so in a negative way.  I just thought I knew something I clearly didn't- and really, for all I know, their story could indeed match the story I wrote for them, maybe just on a different day or in a different chapter.  I'll never know.  But I do know that my faith in humanity, though often challenged by stories I see on the news or day to day at work, was again validated by witnessing what I did.  Keep your eyes, your heart, and your mind open, for there is beauty to be seen everywhere, even at a red light.