A Walk to Remember

This morning I went for a walk around my neighborhood and saw a kid playing in his front yard. Unlike many teenagers with their phones today, he turned his attention from his truck and Crunch bar, smiled at me and said “Hi, I’m Adam, what’s your name?” Prior experience had told me that talking to strangers is dangerous and strangers with candy (which coincidentally sounds like a phone app for pedophiles) are one step away from being on the terrorist watch list. My survival instincts kicked in and I planned an escape route just in case this total stranger tried anything crazy. I may not be able to fight, but I did Cross Country and Track for six years so when tensions get hot, I do what Chris Brown and Chuck Berry told me to do and run! Sure, this kid was only half my size, but Jackie Chan is only 5’9 and he foiled the plans of some schoolyard bullies with nothing but decades of martial arts training and a windbreaker, so I wasn’t going to take any chances. Moments later, an angelic voice from Heaven drew the boys’ attention and allowed me and opportunity to escape. Well, it was not so much from Heaven, but from the kitchen window and wouldn’t pass as an angelic voice in even the most lenient of church choirs as it would a shrill, bloodcurdling shout. A woman who I presume was either the boys’ mother or my old elementary school bus driver shouted “Adam! Get in the house right now!” He turned to me and said “Well, I gotta go. It was nice meeting you. Bye!”

I may never see that kid again, but I sincerely hope he ends up in the hospitality business, because from start to finish he handled this situation like a champ. He acknowledged someone’s presence in a friendly and upbeat manner, maintained his calm demeanor when someone around him got hostile and above all, followed instructions he was given in a direct and dignified way. So thank you kid, because despite the fact that my generation has turned Taco Bell into a breakfast destination and reality television show personalities into presidential candidates, you give me hope that all is not lost!