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Today, I spent the afternoon downtown, which is still quite unusual for me, since the beginning of the pandemic.

I was going to watch a play with Little Bro, and since I hadn’t had a chance to walk around the most popular streets of Montréal in years, I left home early, to allow myself a little time to check out what had,and hadn’t changed.

I trotted along the streets, enjoying the unexpected sunshine and blue sky (we were told that it would be rainy all day). When I spotted a man sitting on the corner of a street.

He looked like a First Nation elderly, and was sitting, eyes closed, his hand stretched out for random donations. I walked to him, and kneeled down. I said something like ”Hello”, to make him open his eyes, and create a connexion. I explained that I didn’t have cash money on me, but I handed him my last gift card, for a restaurant just a couple of feet away from the place where he was sitting.

At first, he didn’t seem to understand what I was offering. But when I mentionned it was worth 20$ of food, his face lit up.

Bless you! – He shouted, taking the gift card from my hand.

And this was the most heart-felt ”Bless you” I had ever heard. I kept chatting with him for a while, because I truly feel like we need to make the homeless feel like they matter. For a simple reason… They do!

I said it before, and I’ll say it again… I don’t talk about these encounters to make me look good. I’m far from perfect, I’m not an especially good person. But the reward for helping someone in need is so great that I can’t help but share my experiences, so you might try it, and feel the same pure joy of helping another less fortunate human being.

I still had to get to the theater, and had to go my way. But before I left, I asked;

What’s your name?

The old man seemed surprised by my question.

Noodlooki (obviously not the correct spelling, I’m sorry about that).

It was lovely to meet you, Noodlooki! – I said.

And I went about my day. But truth be said, I hope you’ll meet with at least one Noodlooki in your life!