Day 182– Leo and Max Across America- Haibun Journey Beauty Each Day
Today I am half way through my second year journey of writing a haibun every day. Today’s beauty was another journey. We passed by Leo and Max on their way from Stanford, KY to Lancaster. His cute terrier mix dog was riding on the back of his bike and there was a sign with his name and Facebook page. I did a web search to find out a little more about Leo and Max. I found an article from 2010 talking about the dog being Max II because the first Max was stolen after his first trek across America. Since the current dog is four I’m guessing this may be Max III. Anyway it takes some kind of dedication or determination to bike across the US. He says his purpose is to raise awareness for homeless animals.
Seeing him today reminded me of someone I met 26 years ago. I was traveling to PA with my 2 and 4 year old. At a McDonalds we saw an older man who looked like he hadn’t bathed in awhile. Not wanting to seem judgmental or teach my children bias behavior I chatted with him. He was on his second trek across America with a shopping cart full of his worldly belongings. His shoes had holes in the bottoms and he said he had worn through two pair. He asked me if he could give something to my kids. He gave each of my boys a penny and explained how important it was to save.
There are all kinds of people in this world and if given a chance we can learn from any of them.
