Vicky
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Whatever he was, it sounds like it was pretty special to you. Were you in too much awe to make much more conversation? If it were me, I would have asked what a street surgeon was. He could have been a guide or angel, or could have been a human being who was guided to come to you and tell you that.
It reminds me of a couple experiences I had. One was when I was about 19 and in college. I was running to catch the city bus (and I usually didn't make it on time) and a bum on the street asked me for some change. Back then I would not have normally stopped, but when I looked into his eyes there was familiarity and such warmth there. His eyes looked so magical. He smiled, and smiled with his eyes too. I was so mezmerized by him. I had to keep enough change for the bus but gave him what I had left, which was 50 cents. As I put it in his hand he was still looking intently at me and said, "Thank you for doing that. You are very kind" (or something similar). I smiled, told him he was welcome, and then continued running and made the bus on time. I knew there was something special about him but I didn't know what, and I knew I would never forget that look in his eyes. Who I am now, I would have gladly missed the bus just to talk more with him and see what he had to say. I felt there was something there. But I was in too much of a hurry.
I actually saw this bum again years later! Again I was on the city bus. At one stop, two women got on and then a bum. I noticed the two woman first sat right next to each other but then one of them decided to sit on the opposite side of the bus from her. (They were in the sideways facing seats right behind the bus driver). When this bum got on and I saw how grungy he looked I hoped he wasn't going to sit next to me. There were tons of empty seats but of course...he sat right next to me. I didn't want to be rude and move, so I just sat facing forward deciding I wouldn't make eye contact. But I could feel him looking right at me. I wondered what this guy wanted and why he obviously kept looking at me. He even leaned over a bit, making it obvious he wanted me to look at him. But I didn't budge. Then, a woman who rode the bus every day, and always sat way in the back, was about to get up for her stop, so she rang the bell. The bus driver didn't like her because every day she asked him to stop well before the actual bus stop, and each day he said he couldn't do that, but then did it anyway. This happened every day. You could tell how mad it made him. It was really kind of funny because all us regulars knew this whole scenario well. Well, she rings the bell, starts to get up, and the bus driver just slams on the brakes hard! This old woman goes flying up the aisle, literally. She couldn't hold onto anything. We all gasp and the two women who had sat up front on either side of the bus both reached out and caught her just in time. She really could have been hurt if they hadn't caught her. I think the bus driver nearly had a heart attack, and I know he felt so bad for what he'd done. Oh my goodness, I just wanted to burst out laughing but I knew it would have been horrible if I did. The bum was still looking right at me and he was so close it made me uncomfortable. So I finally turned and looked at him. And that's when I saw his eyes and recognized him as the bum from about 3 years before. This was another part of town altogether, so I was shocked it could be the same man. I was also shocked I recognized him. But there was no mistaking his eyes and his smile. He told me, "You can laugh you know". I said, "No I can't! That would be rude. She could have been hurt". He said, "But she wasn't hurt. She's fine. You know you want to laugh. It was funny and it's okay to laugh". The way he said it I realized this message was more than just referring to this particular situation. For a few moments we just looked at each other, then he smiled this huge smile and I couldn't help smiling back. Then we both started cracking up like crazy. It felt so good to laugh like that. The bus driver and the old woman, and the two woman who caught her were still in shock. They were trying to calm the old woman down, calm the bus driver down too, and they all gave us a look! How dare they laugh...I knew that's what they were thinking.
The remarkable things in this story were the feeling I got when I saw his eyes, the fact that I recognized him from 3 years earlier, and the feeling I got at his message "it's okay to laugh". I have never forgotten that message and it has helped me through so many times in my life. I think that whoever this bum was, that there was special meaning in convincing me it was ok to laugh that day.
Love, Vicky
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