The Bigger Picture Life

I always knew life was going to be an interesting journey from the start. From the age of two a man in a black overcoat, wearing a hat and smoking heavily used to sit next to my toy box. He was always there as the light began to fade just sitting quietly on the box puffing away. I never even thought of asking who he was as I just accepted the company of an adult when I was playing.
I'd chat away to him but he just smoked. We enjoyed each other's company and would spend hours playing together. He was always there about dusk and we both looked forward to our playtime.
This went on for a few months and then I looked for him when I went tot the toy box but he was gone. I thought about him at first and then forgot that he was even there.
Years later when I remembered this time I did ask myself who this man was. I thought he was one of my father's friends but I was told he wasn't.
My father thought about it for a long time and questioned me about what this man looked like.
"He always wore a black overcoat with a hat and constantly smoked," I said.
"That's your grandfather. It couldn't be anyone else. He died when you were born."

My father understood this gift very well as he had it too. He had spent his life trying to ignore it and not stand out from the crowd. Most people live in fear of being different in any way, we spent our lives as ants doing our work and never questioning anything in life. Go to school then work, have children, die and that's it for most of us, no insights, no questions, just follow the crowd. No wonder we're all scared to appear different.
Don't look at anyone on the train, look down as you walk so you don't have to make eye contact, get home to your comfort zone as quickly as possible. We 're rapidly losing the art of happiness just because we're too frightened to reach out to anyone because we might be taken the wrong way or terror of terrors rejected.
No wonder that anyone who as a gift tries to hide it.