After seeing Pete on my walk to work for 4 and a 1/2 years, he is gone. Pete and I weren’t close. He would say “Good Morning” and “Have a Good Day”, and I would politely nod and smile. On really hot days, I would hold my breath  as I walked by…Pete had a tendency to smell on those days.

Sometimes, I would see well-dressed folk stopping to talk to Pete, and I often wondered “why are they talking to that homeless guy?” But, now I know why. Pete was kind and cheerful.

I don’t know his story, but I imagine life had dealt him a few blows. Despite living under a tree with all his possessions in a shopping cart, he was kind and cheerful. But, I never made time to talk to him.

The world needs more people like Pete. People that will be kind and cheerful, no matter what personal challenges they face.