Here's another piece using 5 words given to me by someone in the Tuesday Coffee group. I've been asked to put the words at the end, instead of the beginning. So, be sure to look there if you want to know the five words.

Enjoy!

Just a Walk in the Park

On a chilly October afternoon

as I sat on a park bench and

barely noticed those who passed by,

a middle-aged man approached

and plopped down beside me.

Wearing a hideous red and yellow sweater.

Looking like a circus clown reject.

I really wasn't in the mood for company.

He said his name was Albie      

and he was just out for a walk.

At first, I wanted to get up,

politely excuse myself and escape.

But, in reality, I didn't have anywhere to go.

After he talked for a few minutes,

I began to feel a bit more comfortable.

It was just a sense of

knowingness he seemed to have.

If that's a word.

It was as if he knew me.

Not just the "surface" me,

but the me buried under several layers

of happy-colored camouflage.

It had been a rough week.

Let's just say I was questioning

everything about my life.

And leave it at that.

I'd been spending a lot of time

sitting at the bottom

of the "poor me barrel"

looking up through

murky water.

And now, here was Albie.

In his goofy sweater.

Talking to me about...

nothing, really.

Our conversation lasted

ten minutes or so.

Then he got up and said

he had to be going.

As he walked away,

I asked what had made him sit

next to me.

"I'm not sure, exactly.

For some reason, it just looked

like you needed a friend.

I know that sounds weird,

but that's the way I felt."

We said our goodbyes

and have-a-nice-days

and off he went,

leaving a smile behind in his wake.

That was over a year ago.

You probably think I'm going to say

my life magically improved

after that day.

Things did get better, eventually,

but it took time. Lots of time.

It was, however, a little easier to cope

with my rollercoaster life.

I never saw him again.

But if I did, I would tell him

how much meeting him that day

meant to me.

So, remember, you never know

who you might touch with a

kind word or just a smile.

It can make all the difference.

The world needs more Albies.

Yes, even those that look like circus clown rejects.

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The 5 words: difference   lasted   sweater    Albie    wake