
I’ve been deep in thought lately about a stranger I never met. A little back story first. I live in a rural community with a population of about 11,000. Set in the mountains of NW Georgia. I live in a townhome in the valley and the view from my backyard is of an old white farm house. It’s tiny in stature with multiple old storage buildings on the property. I’m assuming it is as old as the town.
I have lived in this townhome for 4 years now and I have a morning routine that I rarely stray from. I wake up at 6 a.m. make my coffee and take my little Chiwinnie out back to use the bathroom. It is usually dark out and every morning I can see an elderly lady through a little window in the kitchen of the old white farm house. Sometimes I can even smell the breakfast she is making while I am outside.
When the sun finally rises and the weather is right I see her bring a man older than her outside to sit in a chair. He’s always dressed in a flannel shirt and old worn out denim overalls. He reminds me of a farmer and I am guessing he once was. Sometimes he will sit there for hours just staring at the trees or whatever may pass. Once in a while they help him onto his riding lawn mower so he can ride it around the yard, even if the grass doesn’t need trimming.
Like clock work every morning and every day they would do this with him. It became comforting to me to see the light on, to see him sitting in his chair or riding his lawn mower. I almost felt like I knew them in an odd way. They were part of my routine. I never got the nerve to go say hi or introduce myself. I didn’t want to seem weird. I really wish I would have.
Last week I noticed a lot of vehicles with out of state plates on them. I assumed family reunion. Then I seen a large truck loading up furniture from the home. It was one of those donation organizations that will come pick up any of your unwanted items. Other adults started cleaning out the sheds. This went on for a couple of days. Then hit me. I have not seen them bring the old man out to sit in his chair or ride his mower. I have not seen the elderly lady in the kitchen window, who I later found out was the old man’s daughter. I get up and go out in the morning now and the house is dark and during the day it is quiet. He had passed away.
It makes me sad going out there and seeing his chair empty still sitting by the back stairs. No more lights on, no more smelling of the breakfast cooking, no more hearing or seeing him on his mower, no more anything. I wish I knew his name. I wish I would’ve at least gone over and said hi. An old man I never met was a part of my life, even though he didn’t know it. Staring at that chair every day since, makes me think about how quickly things can change. So go say hi, even if you are scared. Do all of the things you love or want to try. Because one day it will be your empty chair and your home with lights off.