Random Acts of Kindness for Smiley

I've lived in Boulder County, CO with my wife for almost five years now. It has been quite the adventure, but that's not what this story is about... Not. At. All. This story is about Smiley (I don't know his name, so I call him Smiley cause he's always smiling) and the random acts of kindness I've shared with him over the past couple of years that I have been acquainted with him.

In 2018 my wife started a new job at this cool place in Gunbarrel (Boulder). It was only ten minutes from my place of work, so we made it a thing to have lunch together whenever we were able to. To get to her work, I'd take Highway 119. At the intersection of Hwy 119 and Jay Road is where Smiley comes in.

The first time I saw/met Smiley, I was driving back to work after lunch with my wife. I was stopped at the light (Hwy119 & Jay Rd) and noticed his big bright smile, his kind green eyes, his long white beard, his shopping cart with tarps and bags of his trinkets, and the sweetest painting of a smiling sun that said "Smile!" in his hands. Then, he'd flipped it and the other side was colorful and said "You're Awesome!" This brought me so much joy and gave me the biggest reminder that even though you think that things are difficult, you can still find joy in the little things.

I can't speak to whether or not Smiley is having a hard time because he always looks so genuinely happy all the time. Even though I know that sometimes the happiest, biggest smiles can hold and hide a ton of pain and heartache behind them; it doesn't really feel that way with him. You can tell just by looking at him that he has the warmest energy and authentic happiness to him. Not to mention, he's an EXTREMELY grateful person! Let me tell you why...

The following time I'd lunched with Wifey, I had a leftover Mediterranean Sandwich from Panera Bread and a baguette. On the way to the light, I decided that I was going to give them to Smiley. I stopped at the light, called him over, and said "This is for you!" He joyfully grabbed the bag and said "Oh my gosh! This is the GOOD stuff! Thank you so much!!!" As I drove off, I heard him say, "I'm so happy I got good stuff today!" and watched him sit down in his lawn chair to eat it. I'm telling you, it's truly the little things that can be very BIG things for others.

After that day, every time I went to have lunch with my wife, I saved him some extra food, or I'd grab some nuts, snacks, and a spare water bottle to bring to him. There hadn't been a single time that he didn't say thank you or expressed great gratitude, no matter what it was. I began to generate a sort of endearment towards him because he's so special and really is a beam of light.

When COVID-19 started last year, I, like thousands of others, was laid-off as a result. Because of this, I saw Smiley less because I lived about 20 min from the area at the time. However, I didn't let that stop me from giving him food, money when I had it on hand, and supplies he'd need. One day, I was delivering masks I'd helped make for Wifey's work. I ended up making a couple of extras and put them in a separate ziplock, along with hand sanitizer and a couple of pairs of gloves, for Smiley. I approached the light and saw him and called him over. I noticed him wearing a pretty worn-out mask and that he'd engineered a long stick and attached an empty gallon of water with the top cut off to the end of it. Talk about true social distancing! Anyway, I'd placed the items in the gallon and he yelled "This is awesome! Thank you so much!" I smiled and said, "You're very welcome, God bless you!" He said, "God bless YOU!"

I hadn't seen Smiley for a couple of months because I wasn't driving to the area as much anymore at all, especially with all the lockdowns... Eventually, we moved to an area much closer to Wifey's work, and I was stoked because, perhaps if Smiley was still hanging out at the corner of 119 & Jay, I could bring him stuff from time to time!

Well, I hadn't seen him for a while and one weekend, we went exploring to the coolest little mystic shop called "Crystal Dragon." They had a sale on REALLY warm blankets and I decided to buy him one since it was Christmas time. I picked a green one and on the way up 119, I turned on Jay and pulled to the side. I called him over and said, "Merry Christmas!" He grabbed the blanket and with the warmest eyes and smile said, "I'm going to be oh, so warm, now! Thank you so much!" and walked away.

I haven't seen much of Smiley these days, now that I'm working from home part-time and applying for FT jobs like crazy. Not to mention, it's super cold here! Haha. But, every so often, I see him and he's still smiling big and holding his "Smiling Sun saying Smile" painting...

I wanted to note that, when I saw this challenge, I had to enter! If I win, I'd like to gift him with some of the earnings (and post a new story with his reaction). This way, maybe he can rent a motel room and have a warm meal or two and a warm cozy bed, even if for a couple of nights.