eyes wide open

This morning on my way to work, I was trying to turn left off of Yonge Street onto the side street where I park everyday.   This is no easy task at 8:30am when the sidewalks are swarmed with human bodies and the lane you're trying to cross is lined with traffic.

When there was finally a gap in the cars, I faced my second blockade - all the pedestrians were walking with heads down, staring at their feet and ipods fastened to their ears. But, there was one sweet little boy, probably 9 or 10 yrs old, that stopped. He pulled out his earphones, looked at me and waited...while all the adults kept walking.  I looked at him and smiled.  It was a moment - 2 seconds, no more - where I felt like he knew I was grateful, not so much for the brief pause in his step, but his wherewithal to demonstrate a greater courtesy among his adult peers.

That impacted me all day today.  

So, here's to the kids that give us hope, have direction and compassion for their world around them - whether it's a tiny Toronto street corner or beyond.