Monday, May 9, 2016

A Man, A Door, the Beauty of a Silent Exchange

To the conscious brother who held the door open for me this morning, thank you. Thank you—not only for holding the door open for me--, but for my general experience of you on the whole. You see, prior to our paths crossing, I had already noticed you.

I was walking a few steps behind when suddenly, the manner in which you carried yourself, caught my full attention. In that moment, out there, surrounded by the backdrop of moving cars and pedestrian traffic, your energy spoke of one comfortable in his own skin. Your walk was both quiet confidence and grace personified—a perfect visual study of relaxation and control. And despite the added weight of the messenger bag in your right hand, your form was flawless, your stride, even and balanced.
When you reached the building entrance, you opened the door, started to walk through, but then stopped and made a point of looking back. By this time I had caught up, and expecting you to make your way inside, slowed down to follow your inevitable lead. Imagine my surprise, when you made eye contact, stepped back out the door onto the sidewalk, and then held the door open for me to walk through first. Actually, judging by your smile of acknowledgment as I practically beamed my thanks, I’m pretty certain the expression on my face gave voice to the aforementioned surprise and the pleasure felt from the experience.

Once inside, we boarded the already waiting elevator alongside two other passengers. I’d like to think that if we had been alone, I would have struck up a conversation. The truth is though, we’ll never know. But there a few thing I do know. I do know the floor you got off on ;) I also know that this floor houses, amongst other things, the Physical Training Department of a nearby school. So, indulging conjecture, maybe you’re a physical trainer or training to become one—which could explain the things I noticed about you earlier on the street. But while I don’t really know if you are a Physical Trainer or one in training, I do know I very much enjoyed our actual--albeit brief-- interaction. That silent exchange spoke volumes about you and still has me smiling even now--several hours after it took place. And so, for touching my spirit and helping to contribute to my being a bit more conscious in the world, I thank you :)