(a)typical saturday morning in lynchburg
so after waking up a bit late on saturday morning, i decided to head downtown for some coffee and reading. as i made my way to my vespa and was off, i noticed the crisp, cool air and the pretty, colorful trees. about half way from my place to downtown, i saw a peculiar sight in lynchburg - a tall, lanky guy with a big backpack, two walking sticks, and an american flag trekking down the sidewalk. i wanted to stop. i didn't stop right away but knew i would regret it if i didn't. four blocks down the road, i pulled over.
i crossed the street to where he was and sat on a little wall waiting for him to come. finally i saw him making his way, and when he finally approached, our conversation went something like this (started by me of course):
"hey man, how's it going?"
"good, how are you"
"good, where are you headed"
"key west, florida"
"where'd you start" i asked being shocked in my mind, but not showing it.
"canada" he told me.
he seemed naturally introverted but impressive all the while.
"are you just walking for fun or for a cause?"
"i'm walking for the fisher house foundation. here's a pamphlet about my blog if you want to check it out"
"have you eaten already" i asked.
"yeah, i just had some food at randolph college"
"alright, i was going to offer to buy you lunch, but i'm glad you've eaten. well good luck, it was nice meeting you"
"you too thanks"
then after getting a few blocks down the road, i remembered i had some cash so i turned around and gave it to him. he said he would put it towards the charity. wondering why he wouldn't use it for a meal or something, i left to tell others i saw about the guy i met.
it was a fun story to tell, until i googled his name because i forgot what his blog was called. what i found out was that dave madden is the fourth highest paid jeopardy winner in history and works for charities full-time. that explains what he was doing. he's a smart person. he's an even more admirable person for what he's doing, not what he's done. meet dave madden, read his blog, and see his cause.
i crossed the street to where he was and sat on a little wall waiting for him to come. finally i saw him making his way, and when he finally approached, our conversation went something like this (started by me of course):
"hey man, how's it going?"
"good, how are you"
"good, where are you headed"
"key west, florida"
"where'd you start" i asked being shocked in my mind, but not showing it.
"canada" he told me.
he seemed naturally introverted but impressive all the while.
"are you just walking for fun or for a cause?"
"i'm walking for the fisher house foundation. here's a pamphlet about my blog if you want to check it out"
"have you eaten already" i asked.
"yeah, i just had some food at randolph college"
"alright, i was going to offer to buy you lunch, but i'm glad you've eaten. well good luck, it was nice meeting you"
"you too thanks"
then after getting a few blocks down the road, i remembered i had some cash so i turned around and gave it to him. he said he would put it towards the charity. wondering why he wouldn't use it for a meal or something, i left to tell others i saw about the guy i met.
it was a fun story to tell, until i googled his name because i forgot what his blog was called. what i found out was that dave madden is the fourth highest paid jeopardy winner in history and works for charities full-time. that explains what he was doing. he's a smart person. he's an even more admirable person for what he's doing, not what he's done. meet dave madden, read his blog, and see his cause.
2 comments:
What a way cool story! Very admirable that Dave is using his money to help others - I'm glad that you took the opportunity to meet him and talk to him.
I love serendipity. Encounters like this are why I love to take time out of life to approach people and listen to their stories. Good call on striking up the conversation, Sean.
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