Everyday is a good day when you wake up

There have been three separate occasions now that I have encountered an elderly person and been knocked off my feet.

Not in the literal sense. More metaphorically (you know I love those)

Have you ever been so moved by the simple action or words of another person? Like whatever was said hit you so deep it immediately inspired action or influenced you to change something about the way you think?

Twice recently and on another occasion around 6 years ago I crossed paths with three different elderly gentlemen and like I do on most occasions I said good morning or g’day mate.

Most if not all of the time if the person I’m saying hello to is over 60, they will usually respond with enthusiasm. Almost always though they will acknowledge that I have been polite enough to say hello to a stranger.

But on these three instances the response was different.

I’ll take you back 6 years to the first time this happened to me. I was returning to my gym from a run one morning. I think it was a Sunday because where I was returning from, I usually only ran that route on a Sunday long run.

It was morning around 8am and it was spring time so the weather was magic.

About 3km from my gym the path takes you past an old folks home. A big complex with high rise apartments. Funnily enough I actually worked on them as an apprentice carpenter in 2005.

As I was running I saw an old man seated on a bench along the path looking out over the water into Botany Bay. I said my usual “good morning mate” and his response… “every morning is a good morning when you wake up”. And it floored me. Not because it was a particularly profound statement. I just wasn’t expecting it and it really made me think (that’s something I do a lot of when I run)

I’ve never forgotten that moment and have often wondered if that old fella is still alive.

The next two times were more recent and occurred in a similar fashion. I was out and about in my local town of Cronulla and had said hello or acknowledged how beautiful the weather was, riveting chat I know, and the responses were to the same effect. One response was more detailed though.

“We’re living, we’re breathing, how can we be unhappy”

Again, the response stopped me in my tracks and forced me to think.

It’s no coincidence that the gentlemen who are responding like this are well into their 70’s and 80’s. They are in a stage of reflection. A time of looking back at all the things they’ve accomplished or let slip. Reminiscing on love gained and lost, perhaps still with their sweethearts or maybe living out their final years alone.

One of these old fellas stopped to answer and asked if he could sit down with me. I was at my local coffee shop grind, having a coffee so of course I obliged.

He began to share with me that it was nice for him to sit and chat with people because all of the people he cares about or once cared for have began to pass away. He shared that he didn’t have many friends or family left so spent a lot of his time at Cronulla golf club. A community where he still feels like he has some connection.

It was nice to have a chat with him but once again I walked away dumbfounded by his simplistic statement. We are alive and breathing. We’re still here!

Life can get busy.

If only we didn’t get so caught up in our own worlds to realise that every day is a good day when you wake up.