Mailman delivers knowledge

One summer morning I was bored and ended up shooting hoops at Floral Park by myself. From a distance I notice a man entering the park, he appeared tall and lanky even from 50 yards away. As soon as he entered he began jogging, and he jogged a lap around the entire park and then he stopped beside the court. He asked if I would mind if he shot around with me, and of course I obliged.

 It was odd because I was about 17 years old at the time and this guy had to be in his 50’s, even though he was in great physical condition. It was just awkward at first because he was a complete stranger and so much older than me. Shooting around with one other person isn’t an intimate situation, but it can get really awkward if you don’t chat. He had a lot more energy than I did at 9 o’clock in the morning, running and jumping all around like a child. He wasn’t very good at all but you could tell he didn’t care either. As we shot around we got to talking. He was 54 and has been a mailman in Virginia for the past 30 years. He was in New York for a funeral, his mother had passed away a few days ago. He was originally from the area and he used to play ball at this park as a child. I can’t remember his name, but he turned out to be a really nice guy and I enjoyed listening to his fond memories of the park.

He had challenged me to a game of 1 on 1 and I crushed him. I couldn’t believe how much energy he had. The guy had hair on the top but none on the sides. He was my height but very thin and he bounced around like a gazelle. He would miss a shot terribly off the backboard but hustle to get his own rebound 2 or 3 times in a row. His defense was very intense, so I didn’t take it easy on him when I was on offense. The entire game lasted only about 5 minutes, I think he had scored the first basket of the game and that was it.

I assumed that he being a mailman for so long was probably what kept him in such great shape. You know the whole “objects the stay in motion” thing? Anyways, the thing that I will never forget about him is this:

As he was leaving and we said our goodbyes, he didn’t just walk straight out of the park. He zigged and zagged all over picking up trash and throwing it away. At first I had no clue what he was doing, but then I began to smile. The guy hasn’t been in this park in 30 years yet here he is cleaning it. It was as if he was repaying the park for having him, and allowing him to play there. He had some good times at that park, he appreciates the park and wants it to be nice for others to enjoy as well.

I believe we should all give back at some point. We should all make some type of contribution if only to solidify our existence at all. Some leave their legacy behind in their children; others have monuments, or buildings, maybe a garden. This journal is my contribution, my gift to this planet for allowing me to reside here. It can be a lovely place at times, if we let it. But sometimes people leave their garbage all around, in many different forms. This is what I have learned that can be beneficial for future societies: