Shifting the Kaleidoscope

I had just spent 2 days at Disneyland with my grandson, his wife, and three little girls, and was on my way home.  I had to catch the shuttle to the airport early because of the schedule, so I had more time than usual waiting at the airport.  I was trying to forward a text message to my grandson and didn't know how to do that.

There was a young man sitting to my right.  I wondered whether I could approach him for help.  He had a computer in his lap, so I could tell he was probably tech savy, but I hesitated a moment.  His head was shaved on on side and the other side was long and dyed pink.  His arms were covered with tats he had a skateboard on the chair next to him.  My hesitation melted away when he looked up and smiled a kind and friendly smile that went all the way to his eyes.

I asked for help with my text and he showed me how to do it.  We struck up a conversation and had a wonderful exchange of ideas during our hour wait.  I found out that his name was Manny and that he had a 6 year-old son.  He showed me their Disneyland pictures and I showed him mine.  I also found out that he was a professional skater and had quite a fan following.  He was also a graphic artist who designed logos for skateboards.  He told me that he had a lot of young fans who would write to him and tell him their problems.  He always responds with sound advice about staying clean, being positive, preparing for life, and giving back to your family and community.  I was impressed.

They called me to the podium for a seat change and when I returned, Manny was talking to his girlfriend.  I heard him telling her that he was talking to the most amazing 73 year-old woman.  He told me that he had been shocked when I told him how old I was.  He said he thought I was younger because I was so bright and pleasant and engaged in our conversation.  He thought people my age had shut down on life and were just marking time.

It was an amazing conversation.  Manny is on a spiritual journey in his life to find out who he was in relationship to the universe.  We talked about Jesus Christ (he is not a Christian) and Buddha (he is not a Buddhist either.) He was touched by many of the things I said and found affirmation in my saying as he found himself, he would also find his higher power in God. 

As the hour progressed, it was amazing to find out how we had much more in common than I would have thought.  I saw a beautiful soul in a young Puerto Rican man with pink hair and an amazing smile, and he found an interesting woman, as old as his grandmother, who was still 100% alive.  The kaleidoscope shifted for both of us that day.

Don't you love it when that happens?