All of us have people who made a difference in our lives. Family, good friends, colleagues – people we spend time with and/or know well.
But I am guessing we also have people we will never forget, who were in our lives for just moments.
For me, moments like these often happen on my commute to work. Just off the top of my head I will always remember
- the huge black shaggy dog lying perfectly still on the underground with an enormous wet black nose that twitched from one end of the journey to the other with all the glorious (and perhaps not so glorious) smells wafting past. That was the busiest nose I have ever seen.
- the elderly woman standing on a train platform on a cold rainy day. The platform was a sea of black clothes but she was wearing a bright red cape over a beautiful red dress with black boats on it. Her lipstick matched her cape and her hair was beautifully set and curled. She had the most beautiful posture and air of confidence
- the smart professionally dressed woman who burst into tears after her heroin-addicted mother refused to go home with her and got off the train at a stop that is notorious for being an area full of drug dealing.
- a toddler many years ago on my bus, asleep with her face and body looking just like a wizened little old lady. The entire bus was transfixed at how cute she was.
- a woman on my bus that had the most perfect outfit ever
I often wonder where they are now. And if they are now. And whether I have ever been or will be someone’s ‘moment’
And then there is the man in the photograph, who made my day. He was dressed in paint-splattered clothes and had the coolest beard and baseball cap. I asked him if I could take a photograph and he obliged. He had the most amazing body language. I wondered who he was and where he was going. Of course I didn’t ask. These things are best left in the moment.
There is one person I’ll always remember, it’s been 37 years! I was on BART, (Bay Area Rapid Transit). And I sat directly across from the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen to this day. We happened to look at each other at the same time and neither of us could take our eyes away. We were looking into each other’s souls it seemed. Neither of us said a word. His stop came first and when he got off he remained on the platform and his eyes captured mine again until the train moved on. All these years I have said he looked like Jesus in his perfection. He was wearing an impeccable 3 piece suit and his hair was shoulder length and so beautiful. But he had a leather string tied around one wrist that seemed such a contrast to his attire and I’ve always wondered what significance it had for him. Does anyone know?
What an incredible story. Thank you so much for sharing. I wonder if he still remembers you?