I’m in the Philippines airport for a transfer flight and I go to buy a water and snickers. All I have is Taiwanese Dollars and the guy at the counter says “only US Dollar.” I asked where I can convert the currency and a white middle aged man standing next to me just pays for it, referring to me as brother. He was a retired Marine, also heading to San Diego, and we chatted a bit. He reminded me of being simple and flexible like Gumby (the cartoon character). Pointing to the circular table we were by he said, “there is a small span of things you can control, the rest just let go.” He emphasized the value of kindness through small acts. We also got into the nature of women. Basically we covered everything in 5 minutes before his wife called.
