Imagine you live in a tourist town.
A busy one.
Now most residents here think, "Woah, it's July/August. Town is so busy. Look at all the people! I better hide!" And that seems reasonably normal.
But not to Brady P.
He sees a group, a crowd or even one single person, and he stops to say hi. To all of them.
Shake every hand. Pet every dog (unless the owner warns agains it). And deliver hugs to unexpected strangers.
That's my boy.
But I didn't teach him that.
He is teaching me that.
We cannot walk one block to mail a letter without him meeting every single person in the outdoor seating at Lake Effect. Or every friendly dog that goes by. We simply cannot. He has to meet them all.
At first this frustrated me. I would get impatient and annoyed (though it was much more frightening during the Covid years).
Now I just realize that we go nowhere fast. No where.
And why should we? The world is full of people. They all have a name. They all have a story. And Brady is doing his part so show that each person is worth knowing. That nobody should be left out.
This is an astounding lesson we should all learn.
Now I have put you in my shoes as the mother of the boy who has to meet everyone.
But put yourself in his.
I will try my best to create that vision.
You are eight years old (or 80 in wisdom). You get to go for a walk. You feel the sun on your face and try to think of a fun way to get your mom to run with you. Then... low and behold... people!!!
A whole crowd of individual humans gathered in a group! Each name must be known! Each hand must be shaken! Each dog must be petted! What an opportunity to get to be the person to meet them all! Because you are confident and you know that everyone should feel loved.
If you haven't noticed, Brady P is one of the best teachers around. He teaches us about life. He sees more beyond what we have been conditioned to see. And although we might be in a hurry sometimes, I will do my best to never take that out of him.
He is the light that guides the way.
And he can fly.
Photo Credit: Karen Kerry
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