What an enjoyable act of kindness I had today! It was my second chance to drive someone to a doctor's appointment through the American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery program. My assignment was to pick up a man at his apartment a few towns away, bring him for his treatment, wait for him there, and then bring him back home.
He was a delightful 84-year old man (I'll call him "B.") with a colorful history. I learned all about how he and his 6 siblings were separated when his mother died very young. I heard how he learned haircutting from this father, heard about the barbershop he ran for more than 50 years, and even about some of his most famous customers (David Robinson, Jack Benny, Muhammad Ali, et. al.). Amazingly, when we got to the doctor's office, one of his former customer's was there in the waiting room. They exchanged fascinating stories about when barbershops were the places people went to socialize and share all the latest news and gossip.
B. and I fast became friends and he was so appreciative of the ride. While in some ways it was sad to be in a cancer office with patients literally fighting for their lives, it was nonetheless affirming to realize that each has his/her own unique story if we only take the time to ask questions and listen.
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