Essay / Commentary: The Human Touch

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(I don't think I've posted this here before...) Tis rather interesting.. Amusing in a strange way, how our lives fall together. How our worlds can suddenly collide one day and throw us back into another direction just a moment later. How in a bout of despair and desperation, we will become who we are, or who we aren’t… How we take off our masks and return to our former selves when we see fit. Tossing aside any knowledge we’ve gained, and throwing away worlds of opportunity that have been laid down before us. I recall a few months ago during the holidays a gentleman who came to me in such a manner… Nearly 10 years my elder with a son who was still a toddler. The man is a regular customer to the store where I worked back then. Other than that, he was a complete stranger to me, and despite seeing him on a daily basis, he rarely spoke to me. But he came to me one night, his eyes glistening with sadness. The man made his purchases and as I bid him good eve he came to life. He poured his heart out to me about his marriage gone awry and how his own father had passed away just a few hours prior. The man, who only a few minutes before was just another stranger in the crowd, came to me baring his soul. Sharing with me his unswept tears, loneliness, love, pain, sadness, thankfulness, and regret. He spoke to me and I listened. The next time that I saw him, it was business as usual. I do wish that he’d speak to me again; that he knew how I had wanted to hold and comfort him that day. Not because I have a feeling for him, but because as another human being, I know and understand that need for comfort and for touch and light in times of loneliness and despair; And how I love and admire that he was able to share his pain with me. Thank you….