Something was not right about the man before me. There was a sort of nuance between the mawkish description of his journey and the guise that he presented. This man wore charcoal-colored skin cloaked with folding wrinkles that came not from being overweight, but from being over-worn. I had only known him for about twenty minutes, but his conduct had intrigued me to the point of joining him for a cup of joe.

When the man leaned in to take another sip of his coffee, I noticed his eyebrows. They crept towards the edge of his face in long, sloven swoops. This man was unkempt and untidy to the point of being extremely intriguing. Although, his eyes told a different tale. Not only did he possess some of the biggest eyes I have ever witnessed, but they were crisp, clear, and as blue as a summer sky.  All that sat before me seemed to repudiate the vibrant personality that was captured in his eyes.

He spoke scrupulously about his own high school years, then the war, followed by the story of falling in love with a women, and watching her pass. All of this needing only to be heard, not prodded.

As I listened to this man speak the truth about his odyssey, something miraculous dawned on me. It wasn’t something that was wrong about the man before me, not that something was out-of-place, but rather that it was utterly and completely right. The human experience, the sentimental glow, and the personal journey of one man being communicated to younger man, this was how it was supposed to be. This was a man at peace.

“I’ve had my journey”, he delivered, “I found God, fell in love, and tried to better this world, but I’m here now, and I’m not ready for it to be over. I see in you what I saw in me back then, adventure. Go. Go and don’t let anybody stop you. Go and see the world, find out how you can make it better, and when you’ve done that, find a young boy, and implore him with what I’ve shared with you. Then, go and find the place that makes you most happy.” With that, the man rose to his feet and strolled out of the café.

To this day I am not sure I believe all that the man said. After all, he never even told me his name. However, he was right about something; I am in pursuit. I will always need something or someone to fight for. I will always be looking for something better. I will always desire that which is not before me now.

-Hank