Just When I Thought My Job Was Everything

I was taking a walk around the park lake the other day.?I just wanted to air out a few things in my head.?Nothing serious.?Nothing in particular.?As I walked, I couldn’t help but notice an older, rather unkept-looking man sitting on a park bench.?He reached into his crumpled coat pocket for breadcrumbs and fed them to the nearby birds as he muttered advice to them like he was talking to his own children.?In a strange way, I felt sorry for him.?I wondered where his family was.?Did he have children??Had they deserted him, or maybe he had deserted them?

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Further along, there was an attractive young lady, lying on a blanket, casually reading a book.??As a group of young men passed by, they noticed her and attempted to gain her attention.?She looked up in disgust and avoided their verbal advances by facing the other direction.?She waved them off with her hand and shook her head in frustration that the girl gazers had interrupted her private time.?The young men dismissed her openly and then moved on with their conversation.?What was that all about?

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Interestingly enough, I noticed how many people at the park were alone.?Of course, that meant nothing in itself.?I, too, was alone at that moment.???Right then, I began to appreciate the fact that I had someone special in my life.?Someone to share with.?Someone to hold me when I needed a hug.?Someone to love me.?A smile crossed my face as I realized how lucky I was.?Having a great job is wonderful, but having a great love is even better. I wondered if everyone else at the park was just as fortunate.?

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It was time to go home.?No reason in particular.?No urgency.?I just had someone special there whom I wanted to be with.?That’s all.

“Being alone with someone special beats being surrounded by a thousand party-goers by yourself.”