Core Value Number Three: Stay Connected

I'm cheating here.  I wrote this as a Facebook status.  I need to blog more than post on Facebook.  That's for sure!  Let's get away from our phones for a minute and talk to people.

A very strange day for me, but it was capped off by a wonderful experience. I was walking around my old stomping grounds, on my way to Target. I was taking in the beauty of all the architecture, watching people, saying hi. I walked past the site of the Trader Joe's on Santa Monica and Poinsettia; the store I used to shop at. It's a huge ditch in the ground now. After leaving Target, I went to the Starbucks below it at the West Hollywood Gateway. I'm noticing all the pretty girls, thinking "I really miss it here!" And, I got sad thinking that I currently cannot swing rent in the area. I saved a table by putting my bag there. When I got my coffee, a man was sitting at the table. I said to him "Are you okay with sharing?" He said, "Yeah!" He was in his 50's, possibly homeless. He began to tell me about his current health issues and his battle with drug addiction. He had been sober for 8 months. I shared with him my tendency to drink too much at times and the history of alcohol abuse in my family. He asked me to pray for him, because they found a mass in his lungs. I told him I would for sure. He looked at me and said "Yeah! I believe it. You seem like a man of your word. What's your name?" "Angel", I replied. He had this glow to his face when I told him my name. "I'll see you around man," I said to him. He looked at me and said "I'm here every day." It's good to leave your phone at home from time to time. I love connecting with people like this, and wish it would happen more often. I feel so isolated in my suburbia palace. I'm not trying to sound ungrateful, but I'm meant to be where the people are. I'm a city boy! I did pray for the man. Today was a great day!