We went up for a Labor Day trip to NYC from the heart of Connecticut. It was gloomy and overcast and it was fairly cold… just having gotten over a minor heatwave. I had to use the bathroom so after we parked our car at a garage, we went across the street to a McDonalds. Standing on the side of a building was a homeless man holding a Dunkin Donuts cup full of jingling change. We went inside and we ordered items off the dollar menu, as neither of us had brought any significant amount of money with us and with one dollar left, I saved my appetite for a double cheeseburger and decided to greet the man outside. I walked up to the man and placed my last dollar bill in his cup.
He beamed at me and then I asked him his name. “Benny”, he said. I shook his hand and introduced myself, wished him luck and after a brief chat about the weather, I left, giving him a peace sign. He returned it with one of his. I walked around New York City with a good deed hanging over my head. Wherever he is, I hope he’s happy because in my opinion, happiness is “Peace and a Handshake.”
