The Lesson

It was the week of finals and some friends and I decided to treat ourselves to an IHOP breakfast. With it being Sunday, the line was long with families who had just come from church or who wanted to do a special meal. During our wait to be seated, an elderly gentleman came in by himself. He complimented a girl saying how smart she was and he patiently waited for his number to be called. He caught our attention since he was by himself and the thought of eating by one's self seemed sad. In time, we were seated and ordered our meals. This elderly man then sat down a couple minutes later for his meal. My one friend became getting upset. She explained that she sees herself being that man when she is older and that she would have to eat by herself. With that she got up and went over to his table to offer that he would eat with us. The man obliged and what we originally thought would be an awkward meal would soon become a meal where we would learn that there is more than meets the eye.

The man took a seat and began talking. He would command the conversation for the whole meal. He talked about how he had worked with the government and how education was very important to him. He traveled to many different countries and states and had pictures to show the places he had been to. He talked about a book he wrote and seemed to know some knowledge about anything and from anywhere we were from. He talked about how he was as a child and talked about how many children he had. It was a meal that provided a lesson. This man kindly took our offer for company and in return he kept us mesmerized by his adventures and things he had seen. Once he was done with his meal, he paid for my friend's meal and then walked out.

It is in those moments where we can learn the most. This seemingly average elderly man had stories of working with the government and had seen so many different places. His stories held morals of making the most of circumstances and doing the most with your time.