Everyone Has One

Everyone has a story.

I believe that. Some may be more exciting than others, but everyone has a defining moment in their life where they realize who they are, why they are here, and where they are going.

I often try to imagine the "story" behind the various people I encounter in my life. Because everyone has one.

Like the man who sits alone at Wendy's, eating his lunch. Is he dining alone by choice? Is his wife at home, or passed on? Does he secretly wish he had a companion to converse with, or is he content by himself?

Or the man I often pass at the corner of Keystone and 86th Street, holding a sign that reads, "Will work for food. God Bless." What led him to his current situation? Does he have family? And how long has he been down on his luck?

Or the woman with no hair paying in front of me at CVS. What illness does she have? What's the prognosis? Does she live each day as though it's her last?

We all have a story. I'm writing mine.

What's yours?