I had jogged by the house before. The cement steps and gray porch, the single empty chair next to the snow shovel in August. The older man was sitting on the edge of the pillar of the steps reading a book, with his cane not far from reach. He was in his mid seventies, with his waistline high and his mismatched ankle socks, suspenders and limited crazy bed-head hair. 

I wondered.

What was his story? Had he been a college professor? Did he have a family?

He was mysterious. In a good way. But he always seemed stoic and expressionless.

A few days later, I jogged by to see his screen door open, swinging back and forth. I heard a dog howling inside the house. Not like a “I see you and I will bark at you,” but as though he was incredibly sad. I’d never heard that before going by. Maybe the man was hurt? Had fallen? I stopped and stared at the front door. Even with the two cigarettes standing in the ashtray, he had always seemed to be alone. Do I go up to the door? Every part of me wanted to run. What would I find?

So I did. I left, wondering if all would be okay.

The next day I was approaching his house and from a block away, I saw him sitting outside again. My heart smiled.

In the times before, all different times of day, I would just pass by him. But today..

I smiled, and said “Hi, good morning, how you doing?” he replied, “Hi…” turned slowly and locked eyes with the name Jesus inked on my wrist.

“Whatchya reading?” I asked.

“Science fiction.”

He turned the cover of the book for me to see. He was kind. There was a silence that he wasn’t sure what to say that someone stopped and asked anything. His eyes told a story. 

I told him my name and “have a good day,”

He smiled. “I’m Roy.”

Roy.

With a wave, I jogged away, turned to look back, and a white butterfly flew in all around him.

That’s all it took. To love my neighbor. 10 seconds.

A one mile radius from my house.

Who is your Roy?

I challenge you to a LoveYourNeighborChallenge.

How can you brighten someone’s day today?

Maybe take an extra 10 seconds?