On my way to work today, something happened that struck me in a big way. I didn’t expect it, and perhaps that’s why I felt compelled to share it with you.

In order to get to the expressway, I have to drive on a two lane road. Along the way there are many homes, a church or two and a few businesses. As I drove south, I noticed a couple pedestrians walking north, close to the curb. They were on my side of the road. Obviously, because of the storm, not many of the sidewalks had been cleared, so they opted to walk in the road.

From a distance, I couldn’t tell much about them, other than they were walkers. The closer I got to them, the more I could see that they were two young boys probably pre-teens. I could see that there were no cars coming towards me in the other lane, so long before I was close to them, I got over into those lanes so that they didn’t have to get off the street and into the snow. 

As I got closer, the one boy raised his hand in a wave and as I passed mouthed “Thank you.” I waved back at them as I passed and nodded. That small gesture from that boy brought a smile to my face. He didn’t have to acknowledge me at all, but he did. I sit here still pondering it. 

Polite pre-teens are few and far between. Perhaps they have even become a stereotype. You know: rude, mean, bullying, know everything, etc… That’s what most of the TV shows, movies and even the nightly news portrays them as anyway. Not this kid, at least from what I witnessed today.

Kudos to that kid! Be different, young man. Break that stereotype. Be kind. Be thankful. Kudos to his parents or whoever is raising that boy to show respect. We need more of that!

One simple wave. One simple thank you. It gives me hope for humanity.