A Shared Wisdom Guest Post Featuring Amber Kelly-Anderson

While sitting in a restaurant a few weeks ago with my mother and one year old son, we were approached by an elderly man. Having someone come over to talk to Alex is nothing new: he’s a sweet guy with a charming smile that he spreads around indiscriminately. Someone once referred to him as a ball of joy. However, this man’s reaction was novel.

“You have such a sweet smile; you need this.” He handed Alex a little carved wooden elephant with tiny wheels. As a mother I am suspicious of people giving things to my baby, but this seemed harmless. We thanked the man and he nodded before he returned to his booth. Alex played happily with the toy. A few minutes later the man approached another table with a little boy, probably about two years old.

“Would you mind if I give him this?” he asked the mother before offering the boy a carved wooden car.

Again the man returned to his seat and went back to eating his lunch alone. Before we left, we stopped to thank him again. My mother asked him if he had made the toy himself. The man smiled.

“Yes, ma’am. I find it helps me pass the evenings. I don’t have any little ones in my life, but I want someone to have them. Hope it makes him happy.”

He said this without sadness or self-pity. Instead, his eyes sparkled with glee as he smiled and let my son’s tiny hand shake his finger. Alex blew him a kiss and then snuggled the elephant to his cheek.

So often I find myself wondering what kind of world I am borrowing from my children. In my classroom, in the news, in my daughter’s school—the world is thick with petty people and seemingly insurmountable heartbreak. As a culture we seem to thrive on the big moments—the scandals, the tragedies, the violence. And while we like to celebrate the fantastic and the silly (isn’t that essentially what YouTube is about?), experiencing those quiet moments of beauty in our everyday lives is a rare gift. Even more rare is the gift of being open to the reception of such gifts.

This culture has fostered cynicism that leaves me exhausted by suspicion. Although my mothering instinct will not allow me to completely let my guard down, this experience reminded me to open myself to sincerity. There are good people in the world who want nothing more than to bring happiness without a price. A simple gesture can be just that—the human heart exists in the pure state. My challenge, then, is to open myself to both the giving and receiving of such love.

I will probably never know this man’s name, but I am grateful to him. Alex loves the little elephant, so simple in its loving crafting. I can’t wait until the day when he is old enough to understand the gift that was given to us both that day. Since then I have been able to go to bed each night just a bit happier about the world knowing that there is a old man in my town who is quite probably at that moment whittling little wooden wheeled toys to give to children in the hope that it will make them happy.

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Amber Kelly-Anderson is the mother of two vivacious children and two rambunctious pups. In her spare time she teaches English, writes, reads, and journals her travels. http://generationcake.wordpress.com

Thank you so much for sharing this story, Amber! I love that you are paying his kindness forward by recounting your experience – we are all touched by his giving. And because of his open heart, ours are opening up as well. ♥