I spied

When you see someone laughing with crinkled up eyes, you know they’re really enjoying the moment. That’s what I saw this morning and the circumstances surrounding it added immeasurably to my enjoyment.

There’s a neighbor who has a reputation for being a curmudgeon. The children stay away from his home and he doesn’t often display a smile on his face. I have always gotten along with him and he’s always made it a point to wave as I pass by, but the smiles have been few and far between. He’s been retired for a few years and many times I’ve had the impression that the days are too long and too empty.

Maybe so because he’s gone out and found himself a part-time job.

This morning, as I drove down the main drag, the elementary school children flocked toward school and the school crossing guards were out there keeping everyone safe. They do not have an easy job with traffic as heavy as it is and with so many people distracted by their cell phones, make-up application, hair combing, radio knob twiddling, and so forth.

As I approached the elementary school, the crossing guard walked out to stop traffic and I rolled to a stop. Not really noticing the guard, the children were the ones who caught my attention. They were talking and laughing with the guard, which is a bit unusual. Little kids have a way of telegraphing to the entire world, with adoring upturned faces, that they really like the person with whom they are interacting. Then I realized that the guard is my neighbor and he was every bit as engaged with the kids as they were with him. He talked to them, laughed with them and his whole face crinkled up with genuine pleasure. One of the little boys got his hair tousled and that seemed to make both of them supremely pleased. My neighbor’s entire body was animated. And he was dressed up a little more than usual, too. He cut a dashing figure this morning.

All the way home I smiled. Who’d have thought? The curmudgeon has been caught out. He may not realize it, but he’s turned his corner into a happy place for more than just the kids and himself. I guarantee that I’m not the only person who caught smiles while passing by and still wore one an hour or two later.