[0117]

On Friday morning after having coffee with a few friends, I called my mom and asked her if she could pick me up from Kipling. She told me she was getting her hair done at Donato's and that I'd have to take the Go bus home. It was fine, and I thought to myself that it's been a while since I've rode a Go bus. I said goodbye to my friends and started walking down Bay street. I've always liked that walk through the bustling financial district, with people hurrying about in suits and yammering on their Blackberry's. It's always refreshing to observe people in what they feel is their most natural element; and for these corporate lawyers and investment bankers, the financial district is their stomping ground. After strolling across Bay, with Stereo Love playing in my earphones on repeat (guilty pleasure) I finally reached the bus station. I bought myself a bottle of water and a ticket to Square One and went straight to the platform. While standing in line I took out my little black leather bound pocketbook and started jotting down what I had to do that day. A homeless man came up to me as I was writing "ask dad for mac software money" and asked me if I could spare change. I took out my earphones and politely told him I didn't have anything but pennies. He told me pennies would be fine, with a smiling toothless grin. I sighed and said okay fine, took out my wallet and handed him about 10 cents in pennies. He said bless you and asked me what I do with my life. I was a little taken aback because usually homeless people don't stay around and chit chat. I told him I'm a student, hoping a clipped response would make him leave. As I started to put my earphones back in, he asked me what I'm studying. I got a little annoyed at this point and said "stuff about the brain." He said "you mean neurology?" and I said "well sort of, behaviour and neurobiology". He flashed his toothless grin again and told me I look like I could be a psychiatrist. I found that a bit amusing (meanwhile in my head I was asking myself why on earth am I having a conversation with a homeless man) and asked him how so. He replied "well you have an air of stuckup-ishness, but don't worry it's the good kind, the kind all those psychiatrists have in movies." At that point I just burst out in laughter. This homeless man had captured my full attention, mainly because I love to associate things with movies as well. We proceeded to talk about my life and how I don't know if I'll ever make it big time and be able to do all the things I want. After I gave him my long schpeel, he replied with the most fantastic quote I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing first hand. He said "don't follow your dreams, live them. Fail. Fail forward. Fail quickly. The faster you fail, the quicker your dreams will come true. The farther you get to your dreams. Don't be scared to fail. It's what life's about. So fail. It's okay. That's life." I was officially blown away by this man's sheer optimism. Here's a man who has no home, no income, no idea where he's going to end up that night, telling me it's okay to fail. Usually you hear "it's okay to fail" by people who have never failed in their lives. To hear it from this man was profoundly humbling. By the time I finished telling him how incredibly eloquent he is, my bus had arrived. I told him I had to go, and pulled out my wallet and gave him my last 10 dollar bill. He told me he doesn't charge extra for life altering advice, flashed his toothless grin once more, saluted me and walked away. I was destroyed. Destroyed in such a fantastic way. I strive to be as humble as this man some day. God bless him.