Last Thursday, on my way to Rainbow Toastmasters I crossed paths with a homeless man. He was wearing a long flowing skirt, and had hair and a beard to match. He looked like a modern day Jesus – or my hippy father walking the streets of San Francisco 50 years ago.

He gave me a genuine heart-felt smile as our paths crossed. I smiled back and felt my heart open to him and the beauty of that moment. He didn’t ask me for anything, just smiled and kept walking. As I crossed Market street I became acutely aware of the pure joy I was experiencing.

After I had crossed the street, I turned around to face the opposite side of the road and the afternoon sun. As noisy rush hour traffic swarmed the intersection, I closed my eyes to the sun, felt the ocean breeze blowing across my face, and reveled in a few moments of doing absolutely nothing.

I’m so grateful to the nameless man who gave me a reason to pause and enjoy a few glorious moments of my life.