How do you want to live your life?
He had scars all over his face. A huge goiter grew on the side of his forehead. His left hand was deformed and wrapped up. His aviator hat and stiff denim jacket made him less conspicuous.
"Nice, day isn't it," he said.
I paused, took a sip of my coffee and looked right into his eyes. He didn't even blink. He stared right back and smiled.
"It's beautiful," I said.
And it was. Washington, DC in the middle of May will hand you two fist-fulls of beautiful days. You have to go out there and put each one in your pocket to remind you why you put up with going outside at all.
"Are you studying to be a doctor," he asked me.
"No, for a test to be a lawyer," I said. "The LSATS."
"That is good," he said. "I would study late at night from 3am to 7am. It helped avoid distractions."
I shut my book. Took another sip of my coffee and asked him, "Really?"
"Yes. I'm sorry to disturb your studies."
"No, I'm curious too. Why do you have so many scars?"
He paused for a second and then proceeded to tell me how he was in the Jordanian military. How sitting here on the sidewalks of DC on a nice day people watching reminded him of the markets in Jordan. How the family he is renting a room from are like strangers. He talked at length about how people here are always moving so fast, they forget how to sit still. I agreed. I bought another cup of coffee for him and myself. He asked me, "How do you want to live your life?" I didn't know what to say. I said, "as a good person." He asked me what a good person is. I said, "I don't know. One who does good."
He then scratch his bandaged hand and told me he was a high ranking officer in the Jordanian military and he had gotten into an accident. A few weeks before the accident, he had walked into a military hospital and there was a woman crying. He went up to this woman and asked her what was wrong. She said, her baby had lost a lot of blood and needed a blood transfusion. He said no problem. She will be okay. The mother replied that he was a B-Negative and the hospital doesn't have any B-Negative blood. He said, no problem. I am a B-Negative. He went into the operating room and ordered the doctor to take as much blood as the baby needed. And she survived.
A few weeks later His platoon was on a patrol, and one of his men had just gotten married. This man was responsible for dismantling land mines. When it came to dismantling the last land mine, this high ranking official told his man to go home and spend time with his new bride. "New love is beautiful," he said. The new groom did as he was told and went home to his new bride. This high ranking official inspected the mine and while inspecting it, the mine went off. His face was ripped apart, and the hand he instinctly held up was scorched. But he said to me, "It was God's will for me to live. And I cherish each day I am alive."
He was here in DC receiving reconstructive surgery. I see him around still and we still talk about the weather. Each time I see him, a scar has been removed, and his goiter is actually gone. I still wonder about that question though, "how do you want to live your life?"
"Nice, day isn't it," he said.
I paused, took a sip of my coffee and looked right into his eyes. He didn't even blink. He stared right back and smiled.
"It's beautiful," I said.
And it was. Washington, DC in the middle of May will hand you two fist-fulls of beautiful days. You have to go out there and put each one in your pocket to remind you why you put up with going outside at all.
"Are you studying to be a doctor," he asked me.
"No, for a test to be a lawyer," I said. "The LSATS."
"That is good," he said. "I would study late at night from 3am to 7am. It helped avoid distractions."
I shut my book. Took another sip of my coffee and asked him, "Really?"
"Yes. I'm sorry to disturb your studies."
"No, I'm curious too. Why do you have so many scars?"
He paused for a second and then proceeded to tell me how he was in the Jordanian military. How sitting here on the sidewalks of DC on a nice day people watching reminded him of the markets in Jordan. How the family he is renting a room from are like strangers. He talked at length about how people here are always moving so fast, they forget how to sit still. I agreed. I bought another cup of coffee for him and myself. He asked me, "How do you want to live your life?" I didn't know what to say. I said, "as a good person." He asked me what a good person is. I said, "I don't know. One who does good."
He then scratch his bandaged hand and told me he was a high ranking officer in the Jordanian military and he had gotten into an accident. A few weeks before the accident, he had walked into a military hospital and there was a woman crying. He went up to this woman and asked her what was wrong. She said, her baby had lost a lot of blood and needed a blood transfusion. He said no problem. She will be okay. The mother replied that he was a B-Negative and the hospital doesn't have any B-Negative blood. He said, no problem. I am a B-Negative. He went into the operating room and ordered the doctor to take as much blood as the baby needed. And she survived.
A few weeks later His platoon was on a patrol, and one of his men had just gotten married. This man was responsible for dismantling land mines. When it came to dismantling the last land mine, this high ranking official told his man to go home and spend time with his new bride. "New love is beautiful," he said. The new groom did as he was told and went home to his new bride. This high ranking official inspected the mine and while inspecting it, the mine went off. His face was ripped apart, and the hand he instinctly held up was scorched. But he said to me, "It was God's will for me to live. And I cherish each day I am alive."
He was here in DC receiving reconstructive surgery. I see him around still and we still talk about the weather. Each time I see him, a scar has been removed, and his goiter is actually gone. I still wonder about that question though, "how do you want to live your life?"
posted by Class Officers at
11:42 PM
6 Comments:
Dear Lawyer to be, I hope you hold on to this sensitivity of yours, always.
This post was sensitive, beautiful, thought provoking. You write so well.
If you see that Jordan man again, please say hello, tell him some from far away is touched by his question, his experiences.
This reminds me of that post I wrote, 'Justify your existence.'
*someone from far away*
I think you need to make one leetle correction to this:
"I would studying..."
Thanks GG. I gave up on the Lawyer thing... too much work, too little satisfaction (unless you count the money).
That is an incredible, incredible story. It's awesome that you stopped what you were doing to learn from someone else. Too few people see the benefit in that.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
What do you do now, then? Or am I being too curious [as usual?]
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