Nathaniel

            There is a tall, middle aged, pleasant man name Nathaniel that stands outside of one of the coffee shops I like to visit once in a while. He’s been standing there since I can remember and everyone in town knows who he is. If they don’t know his name, they know of him, or have heard of him (he’s is something of a legacy). He is a very kind man and I got to know him a little better today when he asked me to grab him a coffee. When I ordered the coffee, knowing that there was a possibility that the barista (Jamie) would recognize the order, I was a little worried that he would reprimand me for encouraging Nathaniel to continue loitering outside of the shop. Instead, after I had brought Nathaniel the coffee and came back in to get mine, Jamie replied, “ next time you order Nathaniel a coffee please let me know so I can make it decaf, he has a lot of coffee today and we know that too many aren’t good for him.” When the shock wore off, I said yes, of course. The capacity that we have to be kind and not even think about it, never ceases to amaze me. I was so shocked by Jamie’s natural, kind and real response that I knew it had to be shared. Kindness is something I love to observe, especially when that kindness comes so naturally.